


No One's Knight

by FantazyFanatic217



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Anger, Better yet please do, Budding Love, Denial of Feelings, Does not completely follow cannon, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Past Abuse, Please Don't Kill Me, Repressed Memories, Sexual Content, Violence, slight AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-17
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-16 10:15:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 30
Words: 35,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11826645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantazyFanatic217/pseuds/FantazyFanatic217
Summary: Robb Stark's decision to accept a wandering knight into his King's Guard may be one of the best decisions he ever made. But her past looms over her. Can he help her erase the damage to her name? And can she help save him from himself?





	1. Chapter 1

_A promise is a flimsy word, just as flimsy as the words you swear to when you make a promise. A promise to bring back food from the market can easily be swayed by a sweet roll. A promise to watch after the children can be lost to an afternoon nap. A promise tok marriage can be destroyed at an instant by a pretty whore with long legs._

_An oath is something much more. An oath is engraved in stone from the moment the words leave your throat. You will be held to your words for the rest of your life as you called the Seven as your witness. The words you speak may as well be etched in to your skin for you will never forget them. An oath you cannot break, an oath you cannot escape._

Her crisp black armor bared almost no reflection of the fire. The heals of her boots chipped away at the splintered oak table.

"Another drink for ya?"

"Not tonight." The ale she had been nursing for well over an our, had grown flat and warm with only a few sips missing.She wasn't in the mood to drink tonight, an odd occurrence for the young woman.

Perhaps it was just the blood throbbing in her ears that she heard or perhaps there actually was hearing a fuss outside. It sound like a heard of cows were stampeding their way through the village.

"What in seven hells…" she lifted her sword from the table and strapped it to her belt. The locals crowded the windows, only a faint amber glow slightly visable between their heads. The rhythmic pound of boots against dirt grew countinouosly louder as she approached the door.

As she pushed her way out of the pud, she was almost blinded by the bright lights of the torches. Men, soldiers, thousands of them marching their way through the village.

"There! Over there!"

She didnt get a good look at any of them, no colors or idenifying banners or sigils, before 3 of them rushed her. She could only tell that they were not Lannister men.

"Drop the sword!"

She hadnt even drawn her weapon, much less made a threatening gesture. The hardly gave her a moment to process the demand before on of them practically jumped on her back. Upon insint she swiftly turned, driving her fist into the first thing it could find, his face. The other two men leapt on to her, throwing her to the ground while the other reeled back in pain. Then she was able to spot a mark on his armor. It was too dark to tell what house he was aligned with, but at least she could tell he was a captian.

"Aye, you'll pay for that one you bitch."

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She might as well have been a pampered VIP. The stripped her of her swors but not her armor. They held her as a captive but she was not restrained. They caged her but did not shove her in the same cage as the captured Lannister men. If anything, she was at least slightly grateful that she wasnt shoved into the same cage with the men that have been sitting in their own shit for weeks.

She was not there for long. An hour hadnt turned before the same men, the same captian that had wrestled her to the floor earlier in the night, had come for her.

"Lord want to speak to ya, would prefer to not have your pretty face busted when he sees ya." The Captian sneered. He spoke in a nasally voice, his face now begining to swell and bruise.

"Too bad you can't say the same for youself." She smirked.

The Captian's sly grin disappeared, two other men flooding the cage. Not so gently they seized her arms, dragging her from the cage. She could have resisted, the low burning pain in her elbows and shoulders advised against it.

They hauled her through the camp, past many of inappropriately staring soldiers, to a much larger tent.

"Any further to the southwest and we may attract too much attention…"

"Any further to the southeast and we'll be caught between rough terrain and Lannister patrols."

"Even so, Ashemark will be a strong foothold at the tip of their territory."

She assumed that these people gathered around a map table at the center of the tent were higher in the chaim of command, however they were not the center of her attention for long. She was more interested, more concerned about the massive wolf she had come face to face. A chill raced down her spine. A _direwolf_ to be exact. His sharp yellow eyes bore into hers. He acknowledged her presence but remained seated.

The men laxed there hold slighly but still held her firmly in place.

One of the men facing the map table slowly turned to face her, inspecting the entirety of her as his eyes swept over her. The solid direwolf crest forged into his heavy chestplate confirmed her suspicion. Robb Stark, the King in the North. The older of the two women she could safely assume was Lady Catelyn Stark. The younger woman was too darker skined to resemble a Stark, she was most likely his wife or wife to be. Behind her was a knight in solid steal armor. Initially, for their height and physic, she assumed that the knight was a man. As she looked closer, she saw that it wasnt the case.

"Is this the one?"

"Aye, nasty bitch put up quite a fight." The captain stated.

"You'll watch your tongue before I make sure that your nose is broken."

Robb couldnt help but chuckle ever so slightly. Enough to draw her annoyance. "Dismissed."

His men stood there for a moment, most likely not recieving the answer they were expecting. Reluctantly they let go and left with their tails between their legs, but not without giving her a sharp shove forward.

She growled, rotating her shoulders to work out the stiffness they had pounded into her joints when they hauled her here.

"Aye, so you're Robb Stark?" She said. "King in the North or not you should know how to properly treat a lady."

He calmly placed his arms behind his back while slowly strooding over to her, eyes roaming over her armor. "My men say you gave them a bit of a fuss."

"They're lucky all I gave them was a bit of a fuss." She said. "Speaking of which I'll have my sword back, it's worth more than this damn village."

"I do apologize for the manner my men acted in, they can be a bit jumpy. This _was_ Lannister territory. Some of their sellswords still could have been lingering." His eyes remained fixed on the armor plates of her shoulder. The find engraved divets in the plates gleamed in the candle light.

She scoffed. The vile thought never crossed her mind. She would never be that desperate, that hungry to stoop so low as to sell her skills for coin. She took it as an insult that he would dare use the word in her presence.

"Though… you don't look like a sellsword. They wouldn't be able to afford such a set of armor, even by a Lannister's pay." He said. "Excuse me, may I…"

She did not utter a word, only a slight not, her eyes remaining fixed on the floor. The King in the North removed a glove, lightly running his bare fingers over the icy plate. Ice cold to the touch, it's edges threatening to slice into his fingers even after being finely filed down and polished.

"Solid Ebony. You are the Ebony Knight that I've heard so much about." He said, the slightest hint of admiration in his voice.

Her heart leaped into her throat. She found it hard to swallow. Her eyes did not shift from the back of the tent. In her peripherals she watch Lady Stark lean over and whisper something to the other woman but did not openly speak.

"Depends, what exactly have you heard about the Ebony Knight?" She said.

"Rumours drift up from King's Landing from time to time. I've heard that many despised Robert Baratheon for taking a woman into his arms. I've heard that many thought her to be insane for strutting about one of the hottest places in Westeroes in solid black armor. I heard that her skills were practically unparalleled even by Knights twice her size.." He said.

The girl knew better. He didnt speak in such a conniving tone to just inflate her pride. He replace his glove strutting back to his original position behind the map table.

"I have also heard that you have a taste for desertion." He said leaning over the table, palms pressed flat against the wood, creaking under his weight.

She swallowed hard, head raising swiftly. Her cold eyes locked with his evenly colder stare. When ue said that rumors traveled from King's Landing, he wasn't lying.

"I will only ask this question once." He said. "Who are you?"

"I am she... the Ebony Knight. Alana Caster of King's Landing." She said.

The King in the North nodded only slightly, as if he already knew the answer to his question before he recieved it. His silent entourage finally broke their silence when the she-man knight spoke up.

" _You_?" She scoffed, venom dripping from her voice. " _You_ are the 'noble' Ebony Knight? How 'noble' would your people consider you now if you returned home, if you dare call it that."

"Silence Brienne!"

Her words were caught in her teeth but still threathened to lash at Alana. The knight continued to glare daggers as she lowered her tone.

"Forgive me Lady Stark."

Alana's cheeks turned crimson as her eyes fell to the floor.

"So what have you been doing? Selling your sword for hire? Groveling in the sins of the common folk? Drinking away your sorrows?" Robb said almost tauntingly. "How much bloody coin do you hold because of your sword?"

"Do not insult me." She gritted through her teeth. "You embarrass me by flaunting my past, but _do not_ insult my name by believing me to stoop so low."

His brow raised in surprise, take aback by the harshness of her outburst. He struck a nerve.

"Then if you aren't selling your sword, you have to be keeping food in your stomach some how." He said, his tone shifting from accusatory to inquiring. "Have you sworn yourself to anyone?"

Her eyes narrowed before falling shut. A defeated sigh fell from her lips.

"Well go on." He pressed the matter further. "Who's knight are you?"

"I…" she swallowed hard, the bile creeping up her throat threatening to over take her words. "… am _No One's Knight_."

He stared at her briefly. He was familiar with both names. Both originated from rumours in King's Landing. But as far as he knew before now, the two were completely seperate people.

They way she spat the words on the floor. The way her blood seemed to boil at the mention of the name. They way her skin crawled as she spoke the words, the name bared weight on her and she felt _sick_ for it.

"The name burdens you." Robb stared down at the map for a brief moment.

"I will have to live with this name everday for _the rest of my life_ " she hissed. "It's _far more_ than a burden. It _haunts_ me."

"Perhaps I can give you the opportunity to relieve yourself of that name." He said, standing up straight.

Her eyes grew softer, less sharp.

"How about I make you a deal, your sword will be returned to you and you may be on your way should you choose, no one will stop you." He said. "However, should you remain her until morning, I may have an offer that may interest you."

"I told you, I'm not a sellsword…" she ground the words between her teeth before spitting them at the proclaimed king.

"You will not stain your blade for coin, I can assure you that."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb makes a deal. Catelyn is uneasy.

Dusk turned to dawn as sunlight kissed the river valley. The air was crisp with morning dew. It was warmer her than the north, but the chill of a low sun gave The Stark men a feeling of home.

The Stark men began there morning patrols of the area, scouts began their ventures to the southeast and southwest. The camp was lively this morning.

Lady Stark drew her cloak closer around her, the crisp air still uncomfortable. As she awaited for her morning tea to be heated, she comfortably seated herself at the table, silently hoping that the valley winds would not uproot the tent. Robb Stark returned to his tent after deliberating with his commanders this morning. For a moment he was somewhat surprised to find his mother in his presence. Early in the morning she enjoyed breif walks, taking in the landscape was a small treasure to enjoy in a time of war.

"Good morning mother…"

She silentky acknowledged her son's greeting but did not speak a word. Her stone cold expression remained the same. Some thing weighed heavy on her mind.

Robb seated himself across the table from her, Grey Wind finding himself a comfy spot under the table.

"You are worried." He said.

"I always worry, my son." Lady Stark sighed. "I worry that you may be too generous to this wanderer."

"She is not a wanderer…"

"What else should you call her? A deserter? A runaway? What else should I call her? I thought I was being generous with the word wanderer." Catelyn said.

"What do I have to fear from her?" He said. "She is a broken knight that wishes a chance at redemption."

"Broken you say. Are you sure that she did not shatter herself and only now she regrets it?" Lady Stark was not swayed by her son's words. She feared his heart may be too large for his own sake.

"She may hold information we need." He slid past his mother words without a second thought. "She lived among the Lannisters for years. The Red Keep was her home for years."

"Whom she abandoned." Lady Stark said firmly.

"She had her reasons."

"Reasons." Lady Stark scoffed. "Reason that could be so simple as greed."

Robb Stark paused for a brief moment. The last thing he wished to do was to engage in a heated argument with his mother. Perhaps she simply thought he was too naive. Perhaps she thought he was too trusting. Or perhaps she believed him to be a fool.

"I will not argue with you. But you surprise me. I believed you able to read people better than that." Robb said firmly. "The name, 'No One's Knight', disgusted her as she spoke it. It bares weight on her. A knight driven to abandon their values based on greed would be far less concerned of the name they hold."

Lady Stark eyed her son cautiously.

"You arent going to turn the woman away if she returns, this I know." She said. "I only ask that you tread lightly, my son. Until she proves otherwise, she will remain in question to me."

"All that I ask is for you to tolerate her presence." He said.

"For your sake, I will."

The scrap of heavy metal clashing against heavy metal approached the tent before Lady Brienne quietly entered.

"Yes, Brienne?"

"Lady Caster wishes to speak with you, my Lord." Brienne said firmly.

He could feel his mothers eyea burning a hole in the side of his head. Robb briefly glanced his mother, who gave him a concerned stare back. He swallowed hard, clearing his throat before responding.

"Send her in."

Lady Brienne silently exited the tent just a moment before Alana entered, fully clad in her signature solid black armor. Grey Wind stood himself up, making his presence known before firmly planting himself beside Robb.

"I will leave you to discuss your matters." Lady Stark excused herself from the tent, leaving quickly.

The air grew stale. Tension and awkwardness grew so thick you could cut it with a knife. Softly she broke her silence.

"What is his name?" She said. 

The King in the North cocked to the side, eyes narrowing. 

"Your wolf, what's his name?"

"Grey Wind." He said giving the direwolf a scratch behind the ears.

"I wont lose a hand if I touch him will I?"

"Not with me here." He said. "He won't hurt you. I promise."

Hesitantly, she removed on of her guantlets. Cautiously and slowly, she went to run her fingers through a patch of fur behind his ears. Soft. He was well groomed. Meaning no offense it honestly surprised her. He was not neglected, but ultimately he was a wolf. He was a vicious predator. It was in his nature. It surprised her that their campaign through the north or with how man throats the wolf had probably torn our did not give him a ragged appearance.

The wolf did not shift his eyes from her, but did not dare move. He released a soft exhale as she lightly scratched behind his ears. 

"You have him well trained." She said.

"I raised him as a pup." The King said. "As small as he was when we found him, he was the biggest of them all." 

"I can tell." She smiled.

He leaned over the table proping himself up by his elbows. He watched her curiously. Dark circles bloomed under her eyes, the whites of her eyes holding thick red veins. He asked her to return to him after she had rested but she did not sleep a moment last night.

"You do not look well." He said. "Didn't you rest at all last night?"

She frowned, her eyes growing heavy. "Sleep is not something that has graced me in a long time." She said.

Alana stood up straight, replacing her gauntlet. "So what is it that you wished to discuss?"

"I believe we both have something to offer one another." He said. "You have information about King's Landing, and the Red Keep that I may find useful. And you are looking for a way to rebuild your name, your honor, to which I can give you a chance to do."

"I don't believe you would find anything I know all that useful." She said timidly.

"Oh that's where you would be wrong. You have spent years among the Lannisters, among their small council. You've spent years in the Red Keep, you know it as if it were your home." He said leaning forward, his elbows resting on her knees. "What ever information, no matter how insignificant it may be to you, it may be invaluable to me."

"You would trust me so easily?"

"I do know you for you, I know you for your name." He said. "I know you hold no love for the Lannisters for you to give up your name. Your reasons are your own. And as far as I have seen, you havent given me a reason to not trust you, yet."

Her eyes remained fixed on the floor, unconvinced. She gave him the impression that she felt small, insignificant, an trait poisonous to a knight. She had been hurt and the scar was deeply hidden. "You gave up your name to escape the Lannisters. I am willing to give you an opportunity to reclaim your name."

Her eyes shot up, boring deeply into his. "You want me to swear myself to you." She read between his words with perfect vision.

He nodded.

"I told you, you would not stain your blade for coin." He said. "If you don't want to be a sellsword, then a sellsword you will not be."

She let out a soft shakey sigh before gaining control over her erratic breathing. She spoke up, loudly and firmly.

"What will have me do, my lord?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana puts her trust in Brienne. An old face leaves Alana shaken.

Alana found that Stark men were no different than Lannister men in the long run. They were men that could use a sword slightly better than the average person. Some were men that had lost themselves in the journey to knighthood, others were ex criminals that were making an attempt to rectify their past by doing what their neighbors considered to be right. Ithers were adventurers too cowardly tp seek battle on their own. Some thought they should be held with high respect for aligning with s prestigious house. The only difference between the two was the crest engraved in their armor. 

The Stark bombarded her with the same questions that the Lannister men did in the past. "Who'd you kill to get a set of armor like that?" "Who'd you fuck to become a knight?" "Aint that sword too heavy for you?" It honestly bored her after hearing the same regurgitated insults from another house's army. 

The Starks did not plan on taking another member into their higher ranks, they could not provide her with her own seperate tent. Instead, she would be sharing a tent with Brienne until they could make better arrangements. Alana didn't mind. It wasn't a place to hold her finest luxuries, it was a place to lay her head and nothing more. As long as she wasn't laying her head in the mud, she didn't care.

She turned in for the night. She could only polish her armor so much, sharpen her blade so much before she grew tired. Brienne entered the tent quietly. She sat herself down at the edge of her cot and began to work her heavy guantlets off without uttering a word. Alana stayed quiet as well. There wasnt much to say honestly.

After a few breif moments, Brienne spoke up. "I… feel as though I should apologize for my words last night." Brienne said solemnly. 

"There is no need…" Alana said. "Really…"

"No no… I should. I judged you based on rumors, it was wrong of me." Brienne said. "I judged your name, not you."

A small smile quirked at her lips. "Perhaps we can start over, would make things easier since we'll be spending some time together."

"Of course."

"What was it like?" She inquired.

"What was what like?" Alana said.

"The King's Guard. What was it like serving under Robert Baratheon?" She said. "Do forgive me if I'm asking too much, I am only curious."

Alana chewed in the inside of her cheek. By the way Brienne looked so interested, she feared she might not get the answer she wanted to hear. "The title of King's Guard is not as noble as it may seem." She said. "You just wear shinier armor than the rest of the knights.

Brienne narrowed her eyes a bit. She didnt expect her to sound like she was licking the boots of the the King's Guard but her answer couldn't help but intrigue her just a bit. 

"Go on." She said as she worked off her shin guards.

"When i first joined, the men treated me as if I were insulting them. When I put on the armor for the first time, they wondered who I stole it from. I was spit on. I was groped on a regular. I didnt feel like a knight, I felt like a punching bag."

"I didnt leave because they said 'mean' things." She said. "I left because one if them thought it was ok to get close to me. He thought it was ok to do things, like he owned me. He did things to me that would have the common man sent to the Wall."

Brienne remained silent, eyes urging her to continue. 

"When I went to the Lord Commander, he told me that it's just a thing knights do. They can't marry. They can't raise children. Gotta get the urge out some how." She said.

"I had… I had no idea." Brienne said. "They treated you like a deserter, like you ran away for your own needs."

"I ran away because I wanted to do what I swear an oath to do. I wanted to be a Knight I swore I would become." Alana said. "I can't do that surrounded by men that were no more noble than the theives of King's Landing's slums. I was a Knight of the King's Guard by title, but I was their toy by their means."

Alana chewed on the inside of her cheek. Brienne was the only person who she told about this. She was the only person who had wanted to listen.

"No one can know of this." She said. "I need to rebuilt my title by showing the people that I am worthy, not by making them feel sorry for me."

"I understand." Brienne said. "Robb Stark is a good man. He would not have given you this opportunity if he did not intend to take you seriously."

"I certianly hopes he finds what I have to say useful." Alana said. "It has been some time since I was with the Lannisters."

"How long exactly?" Brienne cocked her head to the side.

"Robert Baratheon's corpse was hardly cold when I fled King's Landing." She said. "I know practically nothing of anything done under King Joffery. I know nothing of his army's movements."

"Then I suggest you start with the Lannister men tomorrow morning." Brienne said. "Some of them have been with us since for weeks. Some of them will say anything to fill their stomachs."

Brienne lifted her chest plate up, setting it next to the rest of her armor, the final piece of an uncomfortable steel prison.

"Would you like me to help you with your armor?" Brienne offered.

"Not yet." Alana said. "I think I'll take one last walk before turning in for the night."

"Do come back soon. Duties start at dawn. It would be best for you to get some sleep." She said.

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Some of these men looked like they were at deaths door, ready for the Seven to take them or to fall into the Seven Hells. Some were wounded, and after sitting in their own shit for weeks, their wounds had begun to fester. Some had first arrived, mouthing off to anyone in earshot and spitting on Stark men as they passed. Though, this was quickly corrected with a sharp wack to the jaw, leaving them to figure out how to realign it should it pop out of place.

As she strood past them, some called her a whore, some remained silent, others began her for food or water. Some were too proud and some only wanted to survive.

There was one cage in the center of the rows that only held one prisoner, strange considering some had prisoners packed shoulder to shoulder. Well they might as well be considered a VIP. 

She swallowed hard, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she realized who was in the cage. A chill shot up her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. 

"Alana." He said. "My… you haven't changed a bit."


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb has a discussion with Alana. Alana is approached by Catelyn.

"The Red Keep was my home for a few years. I joined the King's Guard when I was 17 and served under Robert Baratheon during the last 2 years of his reign." She said. "What would you like to know?

Robb leaned forward in his chair. "Anything you know." He said. "Lets start with King Landing." 

"The people of Kings Landing arent that different than anywhere else. The nobles hide in their castles, the thieves dwell in the sewers and the hard workers just want their next meal." She said. "These people don't care who sits on the Iron Throne from which house. They only care where their next meal is coming from and if their King or Queen is having them slaughtered in the streets."

Simple people. Many had nothing to do with the war of the five kings. With Joffery on the Iron Throne, many would begin to grow uneasy.

"And what of the Lannisters?" 

"Cersei… well… you've probably met Cersei. She's exactly like they say she is, fake and unforgiving." Alana said. "She actually accused me of sleeping with her husband. That was fun."

Robb cocked his head to the side, and amused smile quirking at his lips. "What of the younger Lannister, the Imp?" Robb said. "I believe my brother Jon spoke with him briefly before he traveled to the Wall." 

"He is small in stature, but he what he lacks in size and strength he makes up for with his mind." She said. "He's… brilliant. Very knowledgeable, very clever... it's actually difficult for me to say anything bad about the man other than he's a Lannister."

Robb narrowed his eyes, a frown tugging at his lips. That wasn't the answer to ge wanted to hear. 

"Oh don't look at me like that. You can't tell me that every single Lannister there is evil." She said. "The twins, yes. The oldest son Joffrey, yes. The father, yes. The Imp, not really. The daughter and youngest son, not at all."

Robb finally nodded in agreement. "I can't argue with you there." 

Alana narrowed her eyes a bit. "Why didnt you didn't tell me you had an important guest staying this you." She said. 

Robb narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side a bit.

"Jamie Lannister. You didn't tell me you were traveling with Jaime Lannister." She said.

He leaned forward, leaning on his elbows. "Does his presence bother you?"

"No! No…" her mind was a slurry of jumbled words, trying desperately to peice together a sentencr that made sense. "I just thought… I just thought you would have had him killed by now. The first Lannister you could get your hands on after…"

His hands balled into fists before slamming onto the table. He stood up abruptly, almost toppling over his chair. "If it were in my interest his corpse would be paraded on a banner." He growled. His jaw tightened to hold his tongue from lashing any further. He glance up only for a moment into her fightened eyes. When he looked up at her, she atared into the eyes of a broken man.

"You didn't… it wasnt you." He sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, straightening his posture, and placing his hands behind her back.

"If you would excuse me." He said. 

Alana nodded respectively. "Yes my lord."

The hairs on the back of her neck were still standing as she left the tent. That was pure rage she saw in his eyes, followed by a crushing wave of defeat. For just a moment, she witnessed exactlt how the Lannisters had crushed him. As she stepped away from the tent, she could hear him muttering a few swears to himself. 

Lady Stark approached. She had no reason to assume that she was heading any where else except Robb's tent. "Alana, a moment please." Lady Stark said.

The knight kept a straight face to keep from looking surprised. Lady Stark did not show any interest in her when she arrived. She seemed as though her presence bothered her the first moment met. "What can I do for you, Lady Stark." Alana said softly.

"Come walk with me." She said. "I couldnt help but over hear your discussion with my son."

"I did not mean to push something that should noqt concern me." Alana said. "My apologies."

"There is no need. You are here. You have sworn your service to my son. We cant expect you to remain oblivious." She swallowed hard to prevent her throat from running dry. 

Alana remained silent on their walk. Lady Stark was also a woman of few words. Catelyn bared little trust in her. She didnt want to diminish what little trust was there by pressing a sensitive matter. Lady Stark's steps were heavy. Her eyes were stone cold. A heavy weight bared on her shoulders and was threatening to fall.

They walked to hill over looking the river valley, just at the edge of where the patrols walked their routes. It was just enough privacy without sending Robb into a panic to find them.

Lady Stark pulled her cloak closer around her to try and block out some of the breeze. "When did you leave King's Landing?" She said.

"King Joffrey had barely warmed the Iron Throne, my lady." Alana said. "I left very shortly after Robert Baratheon died."

"You were there when my husband was there."

"Very briefly, but yes."

"Do you remember seeing two girls there with him? A red haired girl that probably spent some time around Joffery and a younger more boyish girl." Catelyn asked.

"I do. Sansa and…"

"Arya."

"Yes Arya. I do remember seeing both of them at one point." Alana said. She swallowed hard. "My lady… if I had known he was going to…" She said

"Oh stop it Alana, there was nothing you could do." Lady Stark waved off the thought. "He's in the ground now, he does not need your pity."

Alana fell silent, Lady Stark's words unsettling. The woman's life had toppled piece by piece. She had no time nor the patience to listen to others pity her. Pity wouldnt help her. Pity wouldnt bring her husband back. Pity wouldnt give her son his ability to walk back.

"The Lannisters still have my daughters..." She said.

Alana was an only child. Her mother was not fortunate enough to bare long, healthy pregnancies. But Robb was one of five full blooded and one half blooded siblings. There may not be another bond as tightly woven as family. She could not imagine what the young wolf was feeling having his family damn near shattered in a matter of days. His hatred for them was absolutely justified, however, why did he look so defeated when she looked into his eyes.

"My son swore to make the Lannisters pay for what they did. They killed my husband. They nearly killed my second youngest boy. They have my daughters. They tore our family apart." She said.

Alana remained silent. Jaime was still breathing, she felt as though there were a card at play that she didn't know about. Lady Stark stared off into the distance. There were words trapped in the back of her throat that never had the chance to have life. Alana knew it.

"Please forgive my son for his outburst." She said. "It was not anything you had done."

Catelyn turned on her heals to begin walk back to the camp. The rest of the conversation would remain locked away in her throat. There was more to be said, but Lady Stark was hesitant to express it. Perhaps it wasnt her concern. Perhaps it was to be saved from another time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana reflects. An unwelcomed visitor makes his way through the camp.

The words of Robb and Catelyn rattled around inside her head until the hours of the night. Not all that had to be said was said on the river valley. Her heart bled for Lady Stark.

Alana had seen Sansa and Arya around the Red Keep. She remembered distinctively how enthusiastic and overjoyed Sansa was to marry Joffery. Poor child… she had no idea that Alana had watch the boy cut the heads off of pigeons and squirrels that had the unfortunate fate of wandering into the gardens. She remembered how rebelious Arya was, how angry she was to dress up all prim and proper, how angry she was when her sister made perfect stitch work. She remembered the excitement in Arya's eyes when she cleaned and polished her sword. A strange gift for a child, but she said that her brother had given it to her…. Jon was his name.

Such precious girls. Such a precious family. In the brief moments that she met Ned Stark, he seemed like a proud man. Fair, noble and honorable. Sansa was a young, proper young lady. She would have been well respected if she were to sit on the thrown with Joffery. Arya was rebelious and boyish, but she was warm hearted and strong minded. After meeting Robb Stark, he was no different than his father. Catelyn was a noble woman, prepared to do anthing to get her family back together.

Perhaps she should have served under this family instead. Some times she wished that she had been born in Winterfell instead.

Lady Stark and Robb had turned in for the night. Brienne had fallen asleep some time ago. Alana seemes to live in her armor. Sleep didnt grace her so easily. She liked to wander around at night, take in the stars. Thousands of them lie above.

Sleep had grown on her particularly late this evening. She had circled the camp at least 15 times before she grew weary. As Alana went to turm in for the night, a lons guard shoved past her, his shoulder scraping the back of her chest plate. 

She shot him a sharp stare, but he did not turn back. No one was supposed to be walking through here. Patrols strictly walked the outside of the camp. The soldiers tents were on the south side of the camp. Something didnt feel quite right in the pit of her stomach. On a hunch or pure paranoia, she decided to follow him.

The man headed straight for Robb's tent. She knew he had turned in for the night hours ago. As he entered the tent, Alana stayed outside for a moment out of side. She got close enough to look in through the slit in the canvas flaps. He stood silent for a moment, staring at Robb as he and Lady Talisa slept. Alana narrowed her eyes, her fingers gripping the canvas of the tent.

He took a step forward, drawing a conceled dagger. She felt her throat run dry. Her blood chilled enough to freeze a man to death. She had left her sword in her tent… Alana swallowed hard before pushing her way into the tent.

The instant she made her presence known, his head snapped around, daggered eyed glaring at her. In a dead sprint, she wrapped her arms around his midsevtion and threw all of her weight at him. The two toppled over, the dagger falling from his hand. The clatter of her armor hitting the ground stirred both Robb and Talisa.

She didnt realize how much smaller she was than the would-be assassin. He easly had an extra 70 pounds on her, and he used it to flip her underneathe him. His hands went around her throat, threatening to crush her wind pipe with each pound of added pressure. Her fingers frantically searched for the knife that had dropped somewhere in the grass. 

Out of the corner of her eyes she just saw a half confused, half asleep Robb Stark stumble out of bed as her fingers caught the hilt of the dagger. With one swift motion she swung the dagger high, buring it deeply in the side of his throat. 

Blood poured down on to her chest plate and dripped on to her face. With her chest heaving, she rolled him off of her to her right. She managed to scrape enough energy to sit herself up right. Her heart slammed in her chest.

Alana looked up into the terrified eyes of Robb Stark. He looked over her, briefly grazing over the would-be assassin who had just taken his last breath. He swiftly dropped to his knees beside her. "Are you alright?"

Blood pounded in her ears. The sound of her rapid heart beat drowning out his words. The adrenaline had just begun to stop flowing and left her feeling a little dizzy.

"Alana…" his fingers caught the underside of her chin, turning her head so she looked at him. She could tell by the shakiness of his hands that the adrenaline was just begining to hit him. "Answer me, are you alright?" 

"Yes…" she said, the word faint as it crossed her lips. "He came in… I watched him draw a dagger…" 

Robb sharply glanced over his shoulder to Talisa. "Wake the Commander, have him place all patrols on high alert."

His wife did not utter a word, she wrapped a blanket around herself from the bed and swiftly exited the tent.

"Are you hurt?" 

She shook her head. "No, my lord..."

Robb eyed the 'guard' skeptically for a moment. An attempt on his life would've been made sooner or later, baring the title the King in the North had its risks.

"Get yourself cleaned up and out of your armor. I will put my night patrols on high alert." He said. "You have done me and my wife a great service… we owe you our lives."

"But my lord… what if…"

"We will speak in the morning..." He said firmly. "I am fine. Rest, get some sleep, Alana."


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catelyn urgently speaks to Robb. Alana and Robb reflect on last nights events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, sorry. It was either cut this one short or cut the next few in awkward spots. TT.TT

Dusk turned to dawn in what seemed like only minutes. As the corpse of the unknown man was carted away, a ripple of uneasiness sent shocks through the camp. Catelyn Stark was among the first to force her way into Robb's tent amongst the confusion. She had no trouble shoving asside Robb's top generals and his Lord commander to speak with her son. 

"Robb, a moment please." She said. "Alone."

Robb eyed his mother. By the sharpness of her stare and even sharper tongue perhaps it were best to not dismiss her. He looked up over left shoulder, silently dismissing his men with a mere glance. 

"I don't like this. This turn of events leaves me… unsettled." She said sharply.

"Do you believe I feel cozy in this situation?" Robb scoffed. "The feeling is mutual mother, don't assume I've grown comfortable in my seat."

Catelyn chewed on her lip. "Perhaps we should discuss Jaime…"

"There is nothing to discuss…" he leaned on his elbows over the table, eyes growing sharp.

"His presence here has made you a target, a bigger target than your title does. Half the men in the North want to see him executed, the other half want yo do it themselves." Catelyn said. "What exactly do you plan on doing with him because right now all he is doing here is shitting on himself and eating our food!"

"Would you have me starve him?"

"Robb!"

He swiftly stood up. "There is nothing to discuss! He is a pawn and nothing more. He will remain here."

Catelyn leaned over the table, palms pressing flat against it. "A pawn in what game? What use is a pawn if you have no intent to use it?" She cried. "If you haven't planned to kill him and you haven't planned to use him what good is he?"

"There is no game! I have already won it!" Robb bit his tongue on the last word realizing he was almost shouting at his mother.

Her eyes fell solemnly on her son. She sighed softly as she as she sat down beside him. "You have an opportunity sitting right in your hands. You just need to take advantage of it, my son." She said. "Jaime is the golden son of Tywin Lannister. He would do perhaps almost anything to have his son back."

"You're suggesting I kiss the ass of a Lannister."

"I suggest you play the card that has beem dealt to you." Catelyn said. "Arya and Sansa are still in King's Landing… the Lannisters still have them… I don't want to think about what they are doing to my girls…"

Robb felt his heart fall against his chest plate, heavy and hard. He walked on a double edged sword, torn between taking his rage out on a man that helped splinter their family, and letting him go to reunited the family he splintered.

"My lord…" a small feble voice crossed his tent. Alana arrived in the morning to speak with him just as he said for her to return. Her eyes were red and bloodshot. Dark circle bloomed beneath her eyes as black and blue as bruises now. She did not sleep a moment.

"I will take time to consider it…" he said. 

Catelyn swallowed the lump in her throat. She nodded slightly, her eyes remaining cold as she dismissed herself. She left in a hurry and did not say a word.

"Please, sit Alana." He said.

Alana quietly sat down, her fingers leaving divits in her guantlets as she sat herself down where Catelyn last sat. "Did you find out anything about the assassin?"

Robb interlaced his fingers together as he leaned over the table. "We did not." He said. Her eyes fell solemnly on the floor. "We can't. No one around here knows anything of him, no one knows his face, no one remembers seeing him before."

The grass was still grossly stained of the man's blood. No amount of sage or herbs that they can burn would mask the metallic smell. If no one knew him around the camp, either he was a man of few words or he had not been seen before.

"Also, we looked at the dagger that he had…" Robb fetched the blade from a chest just beford his bed. He slid it from its sheathe before presenting it to Alana hilt first. The red and gold engravings pounded into the hilt were not a typical Northern style. She had seen the blacksmiths in King's Landing craft many designs quite similair to this. She couldnt count how many times she had seen blades and swords similar to this down south. The most obvious give away that was burning a hole in her face as she stared at it was the engraved lion cap at the base of the hilt.

"This is a Lannister blade." She said.

"Belonging to a Lannist assassin. You did well, Alana." He said. "I will never forget the service you have done for me and my wife."

"Something just didn't settle right when he walked past me." She said.

"If only I had more men with your mind." He chuckled. "You do not look well Alana… please you are of no good to me nor yourself if you do not allow yourself the rest you need."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Catelyn seeks Alana for advice. Alana ponders on her service.

Days passed in what seemed like hours. Hours flew by in what seemed like minutes. The sun seemed to stay not long enough and the moon seemed to turn far too quickly. The march into the southern most tip of the Westerlands was a long march but gave Robb the position he wanted for his next move into the Reach. 

It felt strange inching closer and closer to her home. She had spent so long distancing herself, that it felt odd to willingly want to return. The longer she stayed in Robb Stark's services, the more she thought of her service less as a duty and more of a desire. It was hard to see her service to the King's Guard as anything but something she just had to do. At first she believed it to be an honor, a great symbol of valor to serve the King of the Seven Kingdoms, untill she learned more of the royal family. It was hard to feel great when you served beside Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, the man that rails his sister on a regular basis. It was hard to feel like you had a sense of purpose when you watch a King raise bastard, inbred children without knowing it. She didn't feel honored to put on the armor of the King's Guard anymore, there were nights where she longed be in her old Ebony set. An old title, but at least it was built on a reputation she earned. 

In the short distance between Robb's tent and her own, Alana spotted Catelyn on a late night stroll, a bit later than expected.

"Lady Stark, it is late and cold. Mighit I suggest the you head in for the night." She said softly. Alana began to walk with her, Lady Stark did not dismoss her like she thought she would.

"May I ask you something, Alana." Lady Stark began.

"Of course."

"Do you have siblings?" 

Alana eyed Lady Stark curiously.

"Im afraid not my lady. My mother was not blessed with healthy pregnancies, I am an only child." She said.

Lady Stark feel silent, a visable lump caught in her throat.

"Clearly you dont have children but if you did, Alana, to what limits would you go for them?" Catelyn said.

"I will never bare children. Not only does my vow not allow it but I wasnt blessed with the ability to give life." She said, drawing a sorrowed glance from Catelyn. "But if I was… and I had children… I would do everything in my power to make sure they are safe."

She watched the blood drain from Catelyn's face, as if a heart warming answer pounded a sense of dread into her. Alana was no fool.

"This is about your girls, and Jaime, isn't it?" She said softly.

Catelyn glarred daggers at her, like she was supposed to remain oblivious to that subject. Alana met the insulting stare with a blank expression.

"It doesn't concern you, No One's Knight." The stab at her character was a feebled attempt to anger her, hoping she'd leave in a huff and give up.

"It does concern me, you sought advice from me while praying the Seven that I wouldn't figure it out." She said. "You asked Robb to release Jaime in exchange for your daughters."

Catelyn eyed her curiously. She has never directly spoken about it herself. Unless Robb… Robb, of course.

"Your son tells me things, perhaps a little more than he should." She said. "He is just as conflicted as you are, Lady Stark." 

"I feel as though we are not conflicted about the same thing." She said. "He wants every last Lannister dead by his hands… and I can't blame him."

"After hearing him speak… I actaully agree with him. I would want Jaime paraded about with his horse's head sown on to his corpse, but wants are not always not always in best intrest." Alana said. "Robb's wants are not in the best interest of his sisters."

Catelyn narrowed her eyes sharply. "You sound as thoigh you hate Jaime. What could he have possibly done to you to draw this hate from you? You served next to the man for Seven's sake!"

Alana growled. Her eyes growing as sharp as spears, her face heating to an enraged red. "That man is why I fled the King's Guard. He has done thing's to me that perhaps you would wish upon Cersei. Too bad she'd enjoy it from him."

The sharpness of her tongue, the sharpness of her words, took Catelyn by surprise. Her face controted in horror as she pieced together a picture she wished she had not seen.

"I have wanted that man dead from the moment I stepped foot outside the Red Keep. I wanted his see his corpse strung across King's Landing from end to end. And here I am, telling you to release him to free 2 girls I may never meet again." She said. "Killing him isn't going to undo anything he did."

Catelyn swallowed hard. Lady Stark had a way with trying to flip blame, but oh it would not work here. Alana argued in similair situations and won to far greater.

"Perhaps I was right to question your loyalty. You swore your service to my son but yet you try to convince me to betray him." Catelyn ground through her teeth. She was trying to find something solid to grasp on to that would cast blame somewhere else.

"Are you sure I'm convincing you to betray him? Or have you convinced yourself that you would be betraying him?" Alana said firmly, unphased. "I swore an oath to serve and protect Robb. I stopped a knife from entering his heart. It is not betrayal if I put the best interest for the family above his own…"

Catelyn paused for a moment, stopping in her tracks. The Knight watched as she alluded her eyes, biting her bottom lip so hard it threatened to draw blood.

"Thank you for your words… Alana." She said. "I will be turning in for the night."

Robb Stark was a simple man. He was straight forward and often expressed his desires and demands rather loudly. It did not take Alana long to understand the man she served. Catelyn, however, remained a mystery. Catelyn was a puzzle that had to be pieced together. She was a stone-hearted woman that was difficult to reach. Once you were able to crack open the stone to see inside what she was thinking, the crack would seal itself with her ice cold, emotionless expression. It was hard to get her to open up. It was even harder to understand her at times.

An unsettling sinking feeling in her stomache told her that Jaime would either not be in that cage, or his corpse would be spread across the river valley by day break.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb confronts Catelyn. Alana hears something she doesnt want to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect quite a few updates in the next few days. I'm. On. A. ROLL.

Light had not even begun to break through the seems in the canvas tent before Alana awoke sharply to the booming vouce of The King in the North. It was far to early for daily operations to begin. Fear struck her, something was wrong.

As she quickly threw on her trousers and boots she realized that Brienne was not there with her. This wouldnt seem as so strange at first, Brienne was an early riser. But her belongs were no where to be seen. Not even a line to cover her cot was left.

She was snapped out of her trance by Robb's thunderous voice once again. She snatched her undershirt off the base of her cot and strapped on her sword as she headed outside. The rising daylight nearly blinded her as she stepped outside her dimmly lit tent.

A cluster of armed guards circled both Robb and Catelyn's tents. She pushed and shoved her way through.

"Do you realize what you have done?!" She always hated it when he raised his voice. It always made her stomach turn in on itself. Catelyn looked as though she were on trial without a jury. Robb had spiraled in to a rage she had never seen before. Alana had only caught a glimpse of it when she had first mentioned the name Jaime Lannister. Realization struck her like an arrow to the heart. Jaime was no where to be found.

"Alana spoke to you… didn't she?" She felt her mouth run dry.

Lady Stark did not mutter a word, she only stared at him. Her silence spoke the loudest to him.

"So what would you have them do? Throw me in the cage with the Lannister men?" She spat.

A back handed slap struck the King in the North hard. She knew what pierced through him. No matter how enraged, how much of a blind rage he was in, he would not dare cross family. He wouldn't dare throw her in the lion's den, and she knew it.

"I… you…" the King in the North muttered a string of swears to himself, his tongue getting in the way of a fluid sentence. He roughly grabbed the closest ranked member of his guard by the collar of his chest plate. "Escort her back to her tent. She does not leave without my word."

The guard didnt mutter a full response, he just shook his head in compliance, wide eyed and nervous. His eyes darted to Alana, his stare so sharp she could feel it in her chest like a piercing knife. "You..." his voice dripped with venom, with poison that thickened her blood. "In my tent. I want to speak with you."

A burning sensation in the back of her throat told her it would not be a conversation she would enjoy having. She felt the eyes behind her burning a hole in the back of her head. She swallowed the lump in her throat, but her heart leapt back into the same spot to nearly choke her.

Catelyn stared at her, lips quivering. The woman knew how her son's rage spiraled out of control at times. She had learned to diffuse it in the time they had travelled together. Alana couldn't possibly be prepared. She wouldn't know how to sheild her self from the fire that was to come, and Catelyn knew it.

The guards began to disburse and Catelyn was escorted back to her tent. Alana did not return to her tent. She saw no need to put her armor on and she feared that she would only anger Robb further bu making him wait longer than he desired.

Alana stepped quietly into his tent. She did not announce herself, she did not make a sound. Robb leaned over his map table, fingers threatening to splinter the wood. His jaw was so tight, it threatened to crush his teeth.

"I have listened to you, taken your words to heart, I have told you thinhs, perhaps more than I should have and this is what you do?" He said, the tips of his fingers gnashing at the oak. "You told her to do it... you told her to release him."

"The decision was her own… I merely stated my mind on the subject." Alana said. I didn't seem as though she could defend herself to him, his mind to much of a storm of rage and anger to be reasoned with.

"And well, your opinion on the subject caused her to…"

She watched the rage start to simmer in his eyes. His temper had a long fuse, but when it ignited, the explosion was nearly impossible to contain.

Alana leaned over the other side of the table. "I did not convince her to do anything. She was going to do it regardless. She needed me to convince her self that what she was doing wasn't wrong."

"She was right… my mother was right about you. I should have listened to her all along." He shook his head, his voice rising in anger. "You convinced my own mother, my own family, _my own blood_ , to betray me! To release a man that _you worked with_ , that belonged to a family _that you served under_!"

"Robb..."

" ** _No!_** "

She flinched hard, her composure crumbling with every sharp gnash of his tongue.

"What else exactly did you to cozy up to the Lannisters. Were you _fucking_ him in the King's Guard?" He hissed.

Her tears finally spilled. He had kicked her last support out from under her and her composer finally came crashing down. She held her tongue just enough to not break into a sob. She watched her only chance at redemption, her only chance as self restoration spit in her face. She watch her chance at healing rip open another wound.

He couldn't look at her. He couldn't hold his tongue until she cracked. It hurt him, it weighed heavy on his heart to watch the tears he caused. His tongue was too quick for him, his head did not align with his impulses, and he had to stare the results in the face. His heart ached to take it back but the rage that had been set in motion demanded to be heard. He couldn't stop himself. His heart screamed at him to show her mercy, but his rage had spiralled into something he could not control.

"Get out of my sight, _No One's Knight._ "

"Would you still have me serve you…" she choked.

His blank expression did not yield her answer she wanted.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb reflects on his words.

_"You will serve me no longer. You asked that you travel North, so I will allow it. You may travel with us as far as the Twins. You will not return to us after. If you do… your head will be on a spike."_

The journey North was a silent one. There was not much to be said. His men did not speak much amongst themselves, they did not need to. The Young Wolf did not leave his tent for anything except to travel. His generals approached him when needed and they only spoke breifly. He did not even surface to eat, Talisa brought his meals to him.

A hole had burned into Robb's heart. His own anger had burned a hole in his heart. There now lies an empty abscess where his compassion for Alana should be. His heart weighed heavy, each beat sloshing his thickened blood through tired veins. With his rage induced high finally boiling down, his body was numb, he did not feel anything else. He did not eat some times for a day at a time, he had no appetite. Hunger pangs did not even make him feel sick. He felt nothing, nothing at all.

He did not see her again from their encounter. He assumed that she had lingered around his men some distance away from him, if she had not left already. It wouldn't surprise him if she had left in the middle of the night to find her way to the Twins herself.

Robb lay in his tent that night, the her grief contorted face burned firmly in his mind; a burn that sure would not allow him to sleep. He couldn't stop himself from staring into her heart broken, deep blue eyes before spiting the very name she strived to escape back in her face. He could not take back the words he had stoned her composure to death with. She had save his life, she had saved his wife's life, and this was how he repayed her. The longer he thought about it, the more he felt sick.

He walked outside to clear his head, perhaps some fresh air would ease his mind and his stomach. He had not taken two steps outside his before another member of his guard approached him.

"Lady Stark wishes to speak to you, my lord. She says it's urgent." He said.

Robb did not utter a response and simply headed to his mother's tent.

He found his mother in her tent, puffy eyed and face streaked with red. She had been crying. The remaining half of his heart sank into oblivion.

"You heard what I said to Alana..."

"I was in a tent 20 feet away, how could I not." She said her voice was shakey and feeble. "You shouldn't have blamed Alana. It was my decision, not her's."

He stared at the ground, wishing a hole would open to swallow him and drag him to the Seven Hells. "I can't take back what I said in there." He said. "I told her I would give her the chance to escape her name, and all I did was spit it right back in her face. She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you. The only man she ever truely hated is on his way back to King's Landing." She said. "I think the word _heartbroken_  would be more appropriate."

He started to chew on the inside of his cheek. "What did she say to you?"

"She told me that she hated the man almost as much as you do. She told me she wanted to see his corpse strung across King's Landing from end to end." She said.

Robb's eyes narrowed, his lips drawing into a frown. What had that man….

"He raped her, Robb. He was raping her nearly the entire time she was in the King's Guard." She said. For a little over two years."

His face contorted in disgust. Disgusted by what Jaime did, _disgusted by the words he said._ He felt that there was no way that she shouldn't hate him after what he said to her. _He accused her of sleeping with her rapist..._   His stomach twisted in on itself as he fought the urge to lose what little he had in his stomach. A rage began to simmer his eyes. How _dare_ he say those things to her.

"We were wrong to question where her loyalty lied, Robb. She never held any love for them, not while she was there, and certianly not when she left." Catelyn choked. "She said she wanted to do it for Arya and Sansa, two girls she had seen only once, for a family that just turned her away."

The tears started to flow again. He did not look at her, he could not watch his mother cry. He had caused far too many tears for him to count.

"She thought the world of you." She said.

"Stop." Was all he said. He did not want to hear anymore. He left his mother in silence, with out even so much of a parting glance.

The Young Wolf returned to his tent in silence, Grey Wind raising his head to acknowledge Robb before he returned to his slumber.

Robb leaned over his table, the simmering rage he tried to keep a lid on finally started to ignite. His hands balled into fists, striking the first thing within rage without care. With a sickening crack the wood finally gave, it couldn't bare the abuse any longer. The board split in two, splinters embedding deeply in his knuckles. He felt his blood start to flow doing his fingers, his hand throbbing with even heartbeat.

It didn't help him, it didn't solve anything. At least the outlet of his anger this time wasn't a person.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Starks attend a wedding.

The arrival at the Twins weighed heavy on Robb. He should have felt happy, he should have felt relieved that he wasn't living in a tent anymore, that he was closer to home. The warm welcome of the Freys and Boltons didn't feel so warm to him.

With the wedding less than an hour away, Robb sat himself by the fire to collect himself. He wouldn't look as hallow for the Frey's as he slept somewhat decently the night before. Sleeping in an actual bed beside his wife under soft furs for the first time in months felt like luxury. It didn't stop him from waking frequently in the night though. Whether it be nightmares or an intrusive thought that demanded to be heard.

Miles North from Lannister territory, and miles south of the Greyjoys, the only thing that was was remotely a threat to him was his own mind. It didnt matter what was on his mind at the moment, it always turned full circle back to the same intrusive thought. He couldn't help but wonder where she was right now. Alana was probably half way to where ever she was headed by now. He never truely did know whwere she was running to, other than away from King's Landing. A summer born woman with bright blue eyes and golden blonde hair would stick out like a sore thumb in the North. He could only wish the best for her. He would have said it to her in person but she never came to say goodbye.

Robb tried to keep his mind on more pressing things. Where would he move his army next. Would he return south to continue the fight against the Lannisters or would he march North to send the Greyjoys back to the Iron Islands with a black eye? What would he say at the wedding tonight? _Would he ever see her again?_ What kind of wine would be served so he could drink his fucking sorrows away?

After a soft knock at the door, his wife quietly entered his chambers.

"It would be best to not keep them waiting, my love." Talisa said softly. "The Freys are eager to do see their king."

"I'm sure the Freys wouldn't have a problem drinking without me for a bit." He said.

"Please smile… just once for me. And if not for me, for our little wolf pup." She smiled. For the first time in the past week, a small smile tugged at his lips. He knelt down on one knelt, lightly placing a small kiss on her abdomen.

"Anything for our wolf pup." He said.

><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*

He did not have many words with the Freys.or the Boltons. He simply did not have much to say. In what few words they exchanged, they askes him how he felt about Catelyn releasing Jaime. To keep his stomach from twisting in a way it shouldn't, he did not continue that conversation. It was a wedding, a time of celebration, not a time of battle plans and war stories.

Robb tried to keep his mind on his wife, how beautiful she looked tonight, how happy she made him, how happy their son would make them. Perhaps it would help keep a smile on his face to appease the Boltons and Freys. Talisa silently reached under the table, threading her fingers between his, giving his hand a light squeeze. She smiled softly, it was enough to draw out a small smile of his own.

He wasn't hungry, but he was having a hard time remembering if this was his 4th or 5th glass of wine. Greywind would have no trouble devouring his scraps.

It definetly wasn't long before he was feeling the effects of the wine. He didnt have an appetite since they began their march north. Drinking with an empty stomach perhaps was not his best idea. However, it wasnt to the point where he was going to be sick, he just felt sleepy, very sleepy. He would definetly sleep well tonight.

Shortly into the festivities, the muscians silenced themselves.

"You're Grace… you should have said something to me much sooner. I feel… embarrassed that I did not bring you and your wife a wedding gift…"

He wasnt sure if his heart skipped a beat or completely stopped. He was completely unaware that his grasp on her hand was painfully tightening until she jerked her hand free. His hearing tunneled, muffling out the background music and voice until it felt like his words were echoing over and over again.

" _Robb!_ "

He snapped out of his trance but not quick enough. Blood splatter over the table, his wife screaming in agony. She doubled over, clutching her stomach, the swing of a bloody knife just out of the corner of his vision.

Robb stood up abruptedly, toppling over his chair in the process. His face contorted a pure horror, practically frozen as he watched his wife's blood spill. Archers lined the upper balcony. A bolt speared through his left shoulder. Another pierced his right thigh, sending him to the floor. His breath escaped his chest as he slammed into the ground face first, head striking the floor, the tearing pain growing substantially as the arrows shifted when he hit the floor.

Through dazed eyes he watched the blood stain the stone cold floor, his blood, his wife's blood, _his son's blood_ … If it were not for the copious amounts of alcohol laced adrenaline racing through his veins, he surely would have made himself sick. Talisa drew her last strangled breath before finally falling silent, their heir to the throne having never had a chance to take a breath. At that moment, he truely wished that he had drawn his last breath with her so he may continue to be with her.

Body after body collasped to the floor, dead or dying. The grey stone floor was brightly painted with red. He heard his mother screaming, he heard her crying but he couldn't make it out. His hearing was too muffled.

Biting his tongue until it bled, Robb stood himself up on wobbly legs, the arrow in his embedded deeply in his thigh preventing him from taking anymore than a staggered step forward. His senses were beginning to fade with every drop of his blood that feel to the floor. It was a loosing battle to keep himself upright.

He turned to his mother, which he felt would be for the last time. Catelyn's grief contorted eyes pierced his heart. He couldn't do anything, his mind told him to speak but his lip would not move. His instincts told him to run but his legs would not move. His mind had not yet allowed the blend of grief and sorrow to simmer long enough to tell him to act, his sword did not move from its sheath. It all happened too fast, shock kept him in a cage.

Roose Bolton stompped his way through the piles of corpses, roughly seizing him by the collar of his shirt.

" _The Lannisters send their regards…_ "


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana crashes a wedding.

14 times she walked the courtyard, 14 times she circled the winding halls. She walked in Robb's tracks but he never knew she was there. She walked for hours, her mind a jumbled mess. Alana didn't want to just leave, she couldn't, she didn't want to. But she thought it would be best if she left the King in the North to himself for a while before she spoke to him again, give it a chance fot his rage to burn out.

She didn't want to leave him. For the first time in years, she actually felt like she was on the right side of a blade. She felt like she had joined a cause worth fighting for, even if the King leading it were so impulsive. She had nowhere else to go. If she returned south, her head would be on a spike the second she arrived at the gate. If she continued east, she would eventually clash with the Baratheon Army. Stannis would not be so eager to give her a chance like Robb was.

Alana contemplated what she would say to him as she paced the courtyard. Perhaps the only way to convince him to let her stay would be to come clean about everything, even the things she would have preferred she left burried.

Her train of thought was quickly derailed. Dozens of men on horse back flooded the yard, as many as the courtyard could. It was dark so it was hard to place the color and emblem of their armor. However, she could place the three finned helmets anywhere. _Lannisters_.

This was not simply a pursuing patrol, not with the leader of the Northern Rebellion oblivious to their presence. No. An army was surely following. They had not spotted her, for she had paced a dimmly lit corner of the yard. She sprinted inside, as fast as her legs may carry her.

She had to warn him.

><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*

"The Lannisters send their regards…"

He felt the tip of the blade slice into his chest just barely before Roose Bolton reared back for a forcful strike.

Instead of the knife in his heart that he was so readily expecting, he heard the sound of another crossbow bolt being fired. The Iron grip that Roose held on his shoulder was forcefully released. He fell to the ground, a bolt burried deeply in his ribs, blood pouring from his mouth. The crossbow cried out in agony as it crashed to the the ground. Through hazed vision he watched black figured sprint at him like a stallion. With the feel of the ice cold armor against his skin, he knew who it was.

She threw a heavy Lannister shield onto her back and then used her own body as a shield for Robb's. She shoved him ahead of her, headed straight for the kitchen area, as the archers frantically scrambled to reload their crossbows, not expecting to have to reload in the first place. A bolt or two bounced off her shield, another wizzing far too close to her head for comfort. He felt her stumble almost tripping them both as she scrambled to regain her footing with a strangled, pained grunt.

He looked back only once. One last goodbye to his wife. One last goodbye to his mother, who's blood stained her dress as it poured from her opened throat.

Alana slammed the door behind them and barred it once they got into the kitchen. They weren't out of the fire yet but at least the archers wouldn't be a threat anymore. Robb could still barely stand on his own, shock and adrenaline still running rampant through his system. He stumbled, grasping onto one of the prep tables to keep himself up right.

"Alana..."

She heard shouting, Walder Frey and Roose Bolton frantically barking orders to their men.

"There's no time." She said. "We have to leave. _Now_."

His legs wouldnt carry him very far, not with an arrow digging deeper into his thigh with every stride. She wrapped an arm around his waist, drawing his left arm across her shoulders. He hissed harshly, the arrow in his shoulder shifting to his movement, but it would have to do as they wluld move much quicker without him baring any weight on his wounded leg.

They swiftly moved down the back stairs. The back door to the kitchen served as a loading area for food deliveries from the farms, and behind that, the stables. All they had to do was make it to a horse.

She kicked open the back door, Lannister men hurried their way down the stared with a chorus of angered curses. She had to ignore Robb's swears and grunts of pain for now. He would not feel any pain if the Lannisters got their hands on him, for his head would be on a spike. They quickly crossed the courtyard, the a few of the Lannister men that were patrolling hadnt spotted them yet but there wasn't time to move quietly.

She shoved him onto the horse not so gracefully, the angered shouts of the Lannister men growing explictly loud as they turned tail. With their captian barking incoherent orders, the few that had patrolling snapped to attention, readying their bows They never looked back, they couldnt, not with arrows nipping at their horse's heals.

Robb could only watch as the Freys set fire to his army, his rebelion, his family, and finally his banner that hung on the gates before his vision finally dimmed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana and Robb are left with the aftermath.

Robb lurched himself forward, chest heaving as he awoke, only to be send back down into the mattress by a piercing stab in his shoulder. A dull ache gripped his entire body, his muscles completely exhausted.

He lay in a bed in a house we was not familiar with. The only that put him at some ease was the ebony black armor that was neatly lined by the fire place in the corner of the bedroom. His wounds had been packed tightly with cotton and bound in cloth. Flayed flesh slowly coming together again. His clothes lay neatly folded on the chair by the fireplace. They were cleaned as much as they could be, but he could still see some of the blood stains that werent willing to wash out.

The floor boards creaked from bearing someones footsteps. A face he wanted to see so badly quietly entered, quiet surprised that he had woken up. She carried fresh cloth and cotton with her, as well as a water basin.

" _Alana…_ "

She set everything in her arms off on the nightstand to his right before sitting herself down on the edge of his bed. "I didnt think you would be awake yet." She said.

His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, his chest hitting her hard as he pulled her against him. He squeezed her so hard that he squeezed the air out of her chest. He burried his face in her shoulder and did something he did not do in a long time. _He cried._

"Shhh… you'll make yourself sick." She said.

He didn't want to let go, he couldnt bring himself to. He felt like the last thing he cared about would slip through his fingers if he didnt. He held her tightly, like the Freys were going to kick in the door and try to take her from him. Her heart weighed heavy in her chest, tears pricking at her own eyes.

Soon, he brought himself together to calm down a bit. He still could not let go, he let her face him but his hands still held her forearms with an iron grasp.

"You came back." He said, eyes red rimmed and puffy, voice breaking.

"I never left." She said. "I have no where to go in the North, not without a purpose. I was planning to stay until you had returned from the wedding. And when I saw the Lannister men come in…"

It pained her to see him this way. He was pale as a ghost, his eyes were bloodshot.

"I couldn't save them, my lord… I should have been there sooner… I should have been at your side…" She said, tears pricking at her own eyes. Her armor would do no good to a failure of a knight.

"You couldn't have known." He said. "They would have killed you too. They would have killed us all had you been with me."

She bit her tongue. The heart strings pulled agonizingly tight. Her eyes couldn't meet his, she didn't want to see the pain in them. "I need to change your bandages."

He sat himself upright, the blankets pooling around his hips as he allowed her room to work. "Where are we exactly?"

"We're in an abandoned stable house not too far from the next village over." She said as she unraveled the cloth around his shoulder, discarding the bloodied cotton. "Lannister men rode right past here thinking we were further along."

"The ride to return will not be long then…" He said, a low growl lacing his voice.

Alana froze. "My lord, you can't possibly…"

"The Seven nor the Old Gods will be able to save them once I am well." He said.

Icy fingers gripped her heart harshly. His long fused temper started to burn away right before her eyes.

"You can't return to them… not now…" She said, eyes prying for him to listen to reason. "The Freys and Boltons now hold your home, and with the Lannisters there, they are a thousand strong; _more than a thousand strong_. You can't…"

"Seven Hells I can't." He said. "They spilled my families blood, my wife's blood, _my son's blood!_ "

His voice rose sharply, a rage she was too familiar with sitting behind his eyes just waiting to explode.

"I want their heads on spikes on the walls of Winterfell! I want their headless corpses burned with their house banners!" He snarled. "And I _will_  be the one who lights the fire."

" _Robb, please!_ " She said sharply. His lashing tongue fell silent. Her words were not in anger or simply to be heard louder then his. Her words were a cry, a cry for him. Another life she was supposed to protect would not slip through her fingers. "As far as the North is concerned _you are dead_. With you "dead", the Freys hold Riverrun, the Bolton's hold Winterfell. _You're banners are gone._ "

His protest died in his throat and came out as a disgruntled sigh. He hated that she was right. His face would never be seen on a wanted poster. Grey Wind's head would be sown onto someone else's corpse and paraded about as if it beared the name Stark. Their armies will never forget his face. He will be a quiet fugitive of the North, they will hunt him until he truely lay dead.

"You will kill them, every last one of them, I know you will. But now is not that time." She said. "But you can't avenge your mother, your father, if you're dead."

A defeated sigh cursed his lips.

"I know you're hurting." He would have hurt less if Roose Bolton just put the knife in his heart. "I know you're angry." His anger burned hotter than the Seven Hells. "But I swore that I would serve you. I can't serve a corpse."

"My family… I need to get to my brother and my sisters." He said. "Jon is at the Wall, Rickon and Bran are in Winterfell, and Sansa and Arya are still in King's Landing. If I'm going to have any chance at retaking my home, I need to find them."

"Then Seven Hells take me if I fail you." She said, voice stone cold. Even in the bitter cold, even after nearly taking an ice cold knife in the heart, his heart warmed just a bit.

"Jon isn't going anywhere, we cant march to Winterfell while the Boltons hold it, Sansa and Arya should be our priority. But neither of us can get into King's Landing. They'll know our faces." He said. "My sisters wont be easy to get to."

"Think. Is there anyone that you can trust right now, anyone at all, that might be able to get into King's Landing." She said.

"… The Eryie. We have to get to The Eryie. I have family there, my aunt, Lysa Arryn." He said. "She would be able to send people into King's Landing."

The road to The Eryie was a dangerous one. But it would be one that they would have to make. "Then The Eryie we shall go. We will set out when you are well enough to travel." She said dipping a clean rag into the wash basin.

"You're bleeding." He said.

His eyes fell solemnly on her right side, her undershirt flayed open with blood staining the torn fabric. "A scratch, my lord. An arrow nearly hit me as me escaped. They weren't too good a shot." She said.

"A scratch, a scratch that looks like its been bleeding for hours." He said. He hissed sharply, the flayed flesh still swollen and tender. The cool water soon soothed the stinging sensation, numbing it as she pressed fresh cotton into the wound before binding it. A step to his left and the archer that struck him would have dealt the killing blow. But no, they honor was saved for Roose Bolton, or should have been saved for Roose Bolton.

"You cared for my wounds, I need to care for yours." He said, leaning forward to inspect the gouge at her ribs.

She swatted his hands away from her. "I can tend to my own wounds.You should rest, my lord. I will watch over you while you regain your strength." She said.

"Robb… my name is Robb."


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visitor meets Alana and Robb in the night.

The young wolf was exhausted, it did not take long for sleep to take him that night. While he slept soundly, she took a wet stone to the edge of her blade. With every swipe of the stone, she pondered on their conversation just hours before. A fire burned in her stomach, her anger simmering mjch more sutbly than Robb's ever did. She wanted to make the Freys and the Boltons pay just as much as he did, but she was having a hard time figuring out where to start on this seemingly monumental task.

If The Eryie was where Robb wanted to go, then The Eryie she would travel. But the road to The Eryie was dangerous, very dangerous. The Vale was nearly impregnable not by walls nor battlements, but by it's massive, mountainous terrian. Assuming you even get to the mountians, the roads would be littered with northern tribes, ready to slaughter you for the clothes on your back.

She sharply snapped from her thoughts with a loud banging at the front door. She heard voices but couldn't make out what they were saying. She couldn't say that she was surprised, the weren't very far from the Twins, perhaps not more than a few miles, the Freys and Lannisters would have canvased all the way to the Bloody Gate.

She sheathed her sword and set it by the fireplace. Perhaps it would be easier to talk her way out of this. She didn't want to have to fight, not with a wounded fugitive sleeping 20 paces away. She blew out the only candle in the room before quietly closing the bedroom door behind her.

Alana swallowed hard as she opened the front door. She came face to face with two heavily armed soldiers.

"What can I do for you gentlemen?" She said softly.

"Just passing through ma'am. You wouldn't happen to see two people ride through here on horse back, a man and a woman, both of them injured." The taller man said. They were Lannister men, their black red and gold armor shimmering in the light of the torches they carried.

"I'm afraid not good sers, not many pass through here." She said. "If you would please excuse me, it is late and I must…"

"Whoa whoa there little lady." His hand caught the door, prying it back open before she could close it. "What's the hurry?"

Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. "Please… my husband is very ill and I must return to him." She said.

"Ill? Rather interesting place to care for the ill. This house looks like it hasn't been lived in in years." He said, cocling his head to the side.

"My father just recently passed, he left behind his estate. We just recently moved in to try and take care of it." She said timidly, her eyes avoiding his as he scanned her.

"You're bleeding." He said. His eyes were fixed on her side. She felt her mouth run dry.

She turned her self to hide her flayed flesh. "A scratch, we encountered a wolf last night…"

The two men passed a slight side glance to each other.

"A wolf you say?" He said, sounding way too snide for her liking. "Perhaps I should take a look at it for you."

Before she could even utter a response, he snatched her left arm and roughly dragged her forward. The other drove his fingers into the wound on her side, forcing a agonizing scream from her. She left her sword in the bedroom by the fireplace, what good was it there.

They shoved their way inside, dragging Alana with them like she were a doll. She kicked and fought but it wasn't going to do much against their solid iron armor. The more she fought, the more he dug his finger into her wound, tearing it open again as it was just begining to heal. They slammed her down on the kitchen table, each one of them pinning her arms above her head.

"Cut the act girl, where is he?" One of them snarled. "Or perhaps Lothar Frey will recieve your tongue as payment."

"I don't know who you're talking about!" She cried.

His hand shot around her throat, squeezing until she thought he was going to crush her wind pipe. "Perhaps you need a little refesher."

His hand came down harshly across her face before returning to her throat, squeezing much harder this time. "Where is Robb Stark?"

Black spots started to dot the edges of her vision, her sight starting to dim. He gripped her throat so tightly that she couldnt so much choke out a response to him.

The man on her left suddenly fell slack, releasing her arm as he crumbled to the floor. His throat flayed wide open, his blood pouring. Before the man to her right even had the chance to raise his head, he recieved the same fate as his companion did, his blood staining Alana's shirt before collapsing to the ground.

Alana propped herself up on her elbows, gasping harshly. Her head throbbed with every heavy heart beat. Robb stood over her, baring her sword, blood that was not his dotting his flesh. His face brought her a much needed ease.

He set her sword down beside her on the table. He brushed the hair that had come loose from her bun out of her face, eyes boring into hers with concern.

"Are you alright?" He said. "Did they hurt you?"

"No… I'm fine." She said softly.

He cocked his head to the side, eyeing the red marsh that gnashed at her cheek. It was already starting to bloom purple. "It's nothing, Robb."

He arched an eyebrow, eyes shifting to her side that had been torn open once again. Accepting help was not one of her greatest features now was it.

"At least let me help you with your side. It looks worse than it was." He said.

"Thank you… I… They would have killed me had you not stepped in." She said.

He shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips. "The bedroom perhaps wasnt the best place for your sword." He said.

She softly chuckled just a bit. "Perhaps not. I thought I could talk my way out of that one."

"Perhaps your blade is sharper than your tongue."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word of Robb's escape reaches King's Landing. The Lannisters discuss a plan.

The Red Keep was particularly quiet in the week passing. Jaime's return to King's Landing should have been much more joyful than it was. It was soon overshadowed by a much more dreadful news from the North. The news of Robb's escape was sent by a raven only a day later. The letter was burned nearly moments after it was opened, a secret meeting comprised only moments later. To keep the word of Robb's escape as quiet as possible, only the Lannister family met in private.

The Lannisters met in the Hand's chambers, none of them in the slighest pleased. The air was steaming with anger, the King in the North having just slipped from their fingers. A knife poised at his heart and they couldnt deliver the final blow.

"You're telling me the boy managed to escape our own army, in an ambush he knew nothing about." Cersei scoffed. There wasn't enough wine in the world that could satisfy her with this news. "He managed to slip through the Freys, the Boltons, everyone in the Twins…"

"He wasn't alone." Jaime finally spoke up. "He was with a knight."

"A knight. A single knight and the proclaimed King in the North managed to slip through the fingers of a thousand of our men." She sneered.

"Not just any knight…" he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This isn't some wander that he just randomly picked off the streets, this isn't some sellsword that he hired. The knight was one of our own. _She_ was one of our own."

"Ahhh… She? Alana Caster, would that be her?" Cersei smiled smuggly. "So the girl ran off to be somebody elses whore. Why should that matter?"

"What matters is that she is with him, she serves him now. She's was a trained knight of the King's Guard, one of our finest." He growled. "You talk about her like she's some mercenary but she's not."

"And you talk about her like you _cared_  for her." Cersei narrowed her eyes, lips drawing into frown.

His eyes dropped solemnly to the table. "All I'm saying is that she had eluded us now _twice_. And she will continue to do it if you continue to send common soilders after her."

"Common soldiers? Do you forget that you belong to a family with the finest army money can buy?" Tywin scoffed.

Jaime stood up abruptly, nearly knocking over his chair.

"Please, by all means, continue to do what we have been. The boy will have taken back Winterfell by the time you get close to him." He spat.

"Don't be daft boy." Tywin said. "The boy has nothing, his home was taken over by a house that wants his head on a spike, his banners just tried to kill him, the only thing he has is that whore of a knight."

Jaime leaned over the table, bracing himself on one arm, palm flat. "That 'whore of knight' stopped a knife from entering his heart _twice_." He hissed. "If you continue to wave her off as nothing, he will continue to ellude you."

Tywin leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.

"You told me that the Lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep." Jaime sighed. "You can call her a whore, you can call her No One's Knight, you can undermine her all you want. It's not going to stop her from doing what _we_ trained her to."

"She's no lion." Cersei growled.

"She served a lion." Jaime said. "As far as I'm concerned, she _is_ one."

Jaime dismissed himself from the meeting, not uttering another word as he left the room with haste. Cersei's blood boiled, but she kept it quiet with a straight face.

"He is right you know." Tyrion finally spoke after a silence too long, drawing a disgusted stare from Cersei and an annoyed frown from Tywin. "She was in the King's Guard. She is a knight, a disavowed knight, but still a knight. A title doesn't change what she's capable of."

Tywin ran his finger around the rim of his glass before he sighed in defeat. "For once I agree with you." Tyrion cocked his head to the side. This day would forever go down in history as the day his father actually agreed with him. "We either have to seperate them, which isn't going to happen, or we have to eliminate her first."

"We hired an assassin, it didn't work." Cersei said flatly.

"Then we hire better assassins, they can follow them to places our armies can not." He said. She stared at him, still not convinced. Cersei's hatred for Alana would be her downfall.

"Perhaps we can get him to come out…" Cersei said. "Have Sansa write a letter…"

"You can't use Sansa to get him to come out, where would you have the raven sent?" Tryion interjected. "Winterfell? Riverrun? The boy may be stupid but he isn't going to get himself killed by turning south without an army."

She bit her tongue until it nearly bled, rage boiling inside her and surfacing in her heated cheeks.

"If the North believes him to be dead, so be it. Spread the news of his alleged death from Dorne to The Wall." Tywin stated. "He has no banners, no armies. The only place he can run is to The Vale or to The Wall, places we cant reach."

Cersei did not dare to speak against her father. She only nodded in compliance but not agreement.

"We will discuss more of this once I have spoken to the proper contacts." Tywin said. "And Tyrion… tell Sansa of her brother's death."


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana and Robb plan their route. Robb recieves a letter.

Until they could distance themselves from the Twins, it was safer to travel during the evening. When they arrived in Seagard at dawn, a small relief came to them. It would be a place to rest and find a hot meal, perhaps even a few moments of safety before they had to move on.

The Eyrie was unreachable by heading directly east from the Twins, which was also the fastest route unfortunetly. They had to figure out which way to head from here. It be a matter of which route is the fastest versus which the route is the safest. The fastest route would not be the safest. The safest route would not be the fastest. 

They found their way in to a small inn to rest after a long night of travel. A table in the corner closest to the door put Alana at ease a bit. Her nerves were firing on all ends with worry. She felt eyes on her, on the both of them. It felt like her escape from King's Landing all over again. She second guessed every passing glance from a stranger, looked over her shoulder at every pair of foriegn eyes. 

"I'm not exactly comfortable with marching straight through a town like this." Alana said softly, she couldn't tug her hood any futher to cover her face. Robb however, didn't seem all that worried.

"I'm not saying this to make light of the situation, but you can truely relax here." He raised a small smile, which did not put Alana at ease in the slightest. "Do you know where we are right now?"

She shook her head. "I have never been any further North of Ashmark until you arrived."

"We're in Seagard. Only port on the west of the Riverlands." He said. "House Mallister holds this port, loyal to house Tully. They fought under my father during the Greyjoy Rebellion."

"The Mallisters are no friends of the Lannisters, they have yet to yeild to the Iron Throne." Robb said. "And they were never on friendly terma with the Freys, especially now that the Freys were so eager to kiss the ass of the Lannisters."

"Well that's… better news." She said. 

"Relax, you look more out of place looking so paranoid and trying to hide your face." He leaned back in his chair.

"I suppose you're right." She sighed, reluctantly dropping her hood. Her golden locks fell around her shoulders, messy and unkept. Her vivid blue eyes standing out from her icy complexion. Oh she was pale for a southerner, he never noticed it before. She caught the smallest smile playing on his lips. The bruise that was in full bloom on her cheek was good for something; hiding her blush.

"Unfortunately, we're met with a choice." He said, his tone shifting from lightening to serioud. "We can either continue south, and head east at Riverrun." Straight through Frey territory. They'd be intentionally walking into the lion's den. "Or we cross the river to the east and hug the mountains, hopefully finding a route that may or may not be there." 

Alana chewed on the inside of her cheek. It was a gamble either way. At least the path to the south was actually a path. Hughing the mountains wouldnt be easy, those moutains are part of the reason why The Eryie is considered impregnable. They act as a shield "We should continue south." She said. "As much as I dont want to head through Riverrun… its a solid route. I don't particularly want to attempt to traverse the mountains." 

"Even though this route will be easier than heading through the mountains. It isn't any safer." He warned. "We're headed straight through Frey territory. And I don't doubt that the Lannisters have men stationed close to Riverrun."

She leaned on her elbows. "And I imagine the northern tribes will be so eager to meet us." 

"Well, its a good thing I have you with me now isnt it." He smiled. After all that's happened, it amazed her that he could still crack a smile, a genuine smile. Perhaps she could learn something from him.

They didnt take notice to another face entering the inn. It wasn't until he neared their table that Alana eyed him cautiously. He was well dressed, well groomed, but not a noble. Perhaps he was a squire. Robb paid no mind, expecting him to walk past him.

"Sir, a letter for you." The man said.

Robb arched an eyebrow, speaking softly. "I think you may have me confused for someone out."

"Absolutely not. This letter is definetly for you." The man said firmly.

Robb was about to protest again, but the words soon died in his throat. The man turned the sealed letter just slightly so the seal was facing upwards. A silver eagle, the seal was Jason Mallister's.

"Thank you…" Robb took the letter without another word. 

He broken the seal of the letter, holding it under the table as he read it. He chewing on his bottom lip as he tore the letter apart until it wasnt recognizable, balling the shreds up in his fist.

"We need to go…" Robb said standing up abruptly. "Now."

"Robb… what…" Her eyes were wide with worry.

"Shhh... not here." He said quietly. He placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the door. On the way out, he tossed the shreds of the letter into the fire place; burning any trace that the parchment ever existed.

He did not speak a word until they were a good distance away from the inn, out of ear shot of any one who shouldn't be listening. Her heart thrummed in her chest, waiting for him to say something. They did not stop to speak, his fast pace never slowed as he spoke.

"The letter was from Jason Mallister." He said. "He wants me to meet him on the port dock at sunset. He says that he can help us."

She chewed on the inside of her cheek, unsure of what to make of this. Part of her wanted this to be true, they wouldn't be alone in the lion's den if the letter spoke the truth. But something turned in her stomach that didn't feel quite right. There was always something she told herself in situations like this. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

"Robb… I don't know about this." She said softly. "I know you said that the Mallister's were good allies of the Starks… but then again… so were the Boltons."

"It doesn't settle well with me either, but it's all we have right now."


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb and Alana meet with an old ally.

The sun seemed to fall behind the trees far too quickly for Alana's liking. She was used to living with familiar faces, but not when those unfamiliar faces may very well put a sword in her throat. The docks were empty. Not a sound was made other than the weary creak of the ships, even the waters were silent. No one was here, no ship hands for the ships, no msrchants looking to sell their supply. They were alone.

Robb could see Alana's nerves firing on all cylinders just by looking at her face. He was sure she was going to blister her lips from chewing on them so much. He windered how her fingers had not boared into her sword hilt from grasping it so tightly.

"There's nothing to worry about out here." He said. "I promise."

Her hand did not leave her swords hilt, nor did his leave his. Her knuckles were surely turning white from grasping the steel so hard.

"Oh I trust you, Robb." She said. "But I only trust _you_."

Leaning casually against a stack of fish crates stood a man, in his mid to late 40's. With his arms crossed and his head pressed back against the crate, it seemed as though he didn't hold a care in the world.

"I suppose I should be bowing to you, your grace." The man said. "But I think that would look a bit suspicious now wouldnt it."

She felt her mouth run dry, the grasp on her sword threatening to shatter the hilt. The man stood up, uncrossing his arms, revealing the silver eagle embroidered on his chest. Lord Jason Mallister.

"I thought you to be dead boy…" He said. "The Freys were quick to spread the word that the King in the North had been slain."

A flood of relief crashed against him like the waves crashed against his chest. His heart fluttered to try in stay im rythem after nearly skipping a beat.

"Not dead yet… But the Freys left their mark." He said with a labored breath. "Most of the North by now believes me to be dead. My army was annihilated, they killed my mother… my wife… I have nothing."

"Seven hells… I was always the skeptical of the Freys" Lord Mallister said. The man eyed Alana from head to toe, eyes fixed on the details of her armor, of her sword. "Well… I wouldnt say you have _nothing_. You have quite the pretty face to travel with."

Alana raised an eyebrow.

Robb chuckled almost nervously. "More than a pretty face actually. She's the only reason I made it out of the Twins alive." He said, the smallest smile pondering on his lips . "I owe her my life."

That damn smile was going to be the death of her.

"Well, it sounds like you got a keeper there."

Alana chuckled just a bit.

"The Lannisters will be pasing through here any time now. With the Freys holding Riverrun and Walder Frey kissing the crown's ass, I have no choice." He said. "Their armies are too large for me to even think about crossing them. I can't garuntee your safety in Seagard should you chose to stay."

Robb feared that this would happen. The Mallisters hadn't lost their bite, but they were a force too small to stand alone. Licking the boots of the Lannisters was the last thing on the lord's mind, however his house would not stand in a conflict on their own."

"We can't stay. We wont survive long under the nose of the Lannister army." He said solemnly. "We head south before daybreak."

"South? You're heading the wrong way boy. Why are you headed further into Lannister territoy?" Lord Mallister inquired.

"There's nothing there for me in the North." Robb said.

"But your brothers… Bran and Rickon… they are still in Winterfell." Lord Mallister said. "The Bolton's hold Winterfell now… your home…"

"My sisters are still trapped in King's Landing, Jon is alone at the Wall, and my youngest brothers once held by the Greyjoys are now held by the Boltons." Robb's solemn stare burned at her heart. "If I head North without support, I will be dead before I see the snows of Winterfell. I can't help them if I'm dead…"

"So… where are you headed? You can't hope to find forces in the South." Mallister said.

"The Eryie. I have family there, hopefully they will help us get to my sisters in King's Landing." He said.

Lord Mallister new just as much as they did that the route to the Vale would be a long and dangerous one, especially on their own. Lord Mallister sighed. "I can not give you men. I can not give you protection." He said. "But I can give you supplies. Money, food and some horses. Perhaps I can find you some armoror some clothes less… bloody. It is all I can give you."

Her heart lightened as much as his did, the first good news since the Twins. Horses would make their travels faster, much faster. The faster they moved out of the Riverlands and in to the Vale, the better.

"Thank you, Lord Mallister." Robb said. "It is good to know that we can trust someone in a time like this. Anything you have to offer is appreciated.

"Seagard will always be at your side." Mallister bowed respectfully. "I wish you and your companion safe travels, your grace."

"No… the King in the North died at the Twins... I am only Robb Stark."


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Word spreads of Robb Stark's "death"

_Lord Stark of Winterfell, proclaimed King in the North, oldest son of the former Hand of the King, Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell, has been declared dead by the hands of the crown._

* _The Wall_ *

A raven in the night delivered the news to Castle Black. Lord Commander Mormont did not deliver the news to his squire until the sun kissed the peak of the Wall the next morning.

Ghost watched in silence, almost cowering as Jon threathened to ruin his newly gifted sword. The steel cried out in agony with each angered slash against the stable wood post.

"That's enough Lord Snow, i won't have your blade sent in for repairs if you ruin it yourself." Lord Commander boomed.

Jon did not even address his Lord Commander. His eyes remained fixed on the wooden post, the tears that streaked down his face threatening to freeze in the cold air. His chest heaved, each breath labored. His heart threatened to shatter hisnribs with the sheer force of each beat, over working to push his iced blood through his tired veins.

His brothers watched from a distance, some muttering snarky comments, others expressing their sorrows for the boy, none had the heart to express their words to Jon. Robb Stark, his brother and best friend, the man who had never even thought that Jon was an outsider, was dead. The closest person he would ever know to a mother, was dead. His father, the only person that saw him as a Stark and not a bastard, was dead. Bran and Rickon could not defend themselves while the Boltons occupied their home. Bound by an oath, he knew he would be forced to remain here while watched his family fall one by one.

* _Winterfell_ *

A raven need not arrive in Winterfell yet. The Stark banners were torn from the walls at dawn and burned in the court yard before the sun had a chance to rise. The banners of the flayed man were strung over the hold, a sickening sight to most. They Starks former banners were forced to submit to the Boltons and for the sake of their houses, they did. The North remembers but would it remember the dying Stark name.

* _King's Landing_ *

Tyrion could not drink enough to prepare him for that day. The news of the King in the North's death had spread like wildfire. Citizens paraded through the lower streets that the man that threatened to lay seige to their lands was finally dead. They burned homemade Stark banners, paraded in mass numbers in front of the Red Keep. Tyrion did not think it would take long before his wife caught the news of her brother and her mother's death. And even though he was instructed to do so, it wouldn't surprise him if Cersei delivered the news to Sansa before he did.

As he strolled through the gardens, his question was soon answered. Sansa was in her usual spot in the gardens where she, Margaery, and sometimes Lady Olenna normally sit and chat. But this time she was alone, her head craddled in her arms face down on the table.

He contemplated continuing walking and not looking back, Sansa had not seen him. But he knew he would feel worse than he already was if he did. He swallowed hard before quietly approaching her, his steps weighing heavy. He bit his tongue until it bled before her approached her.

"Sansa…" He said quietly.

She raised her head, her eyes as red as her hair. Her eyes met his only breifly before she turned away, trying to dry her eyes.

"What ever is the matter."

"My mother… my brother Robb… their both dead. They were killed in the Twins…" she sobbed.

"And where did you hear this?" He said calmly.

"Lady Cersei told me…"

Damn that woman. He had suspected his sister would try to tell her first. Causing misery was one of her specialties, especially when it came to Sansa.

"W-were you coming here to tell me? She wipped the tears from her cheeks, chewing in the inside of her cheek.

Tyrion sighed. He the took a seat across from her, leaning on his elbows over the table.

"I can't lie to you, Sansa." He said. "I was told to tell you of their deaths. I avoided it because I didnt want to see you cry, you have done enough crying already."

Sansa narrowed her eyes, almost in irritation.

"I was told to tell you that our armies moved in on Robb and his army in the Twins in a betrayal orchestrated by the Freys and the Boltons." He said. "I was told to tell you that your mother and your brother were killed at the Twins."

Her eyes welled with tears, threatening to spill. She covered her mouth to contain her sob.

"But I told you, I can not lie to you." He said.

She stared at him, cocking her head to thr side, lips quivering. "What?"

"Your mother did not survive… that is the truth." He said. "But your brother is alive. He escaped the Twins; a wandering knight saved his life."

"He's… he's alive?" She could barely choke out the words.

"Cersei told you he died, didn't she?" He inquired.

She could only manage a small nod. "Why would she…"

"My sister is not happy about his escape. Because he's alive, she believes there's a chance for the Northern Rebellion to revive itself." He said. "She ordered that ravens be sent over from the Wall to Dorne."

"How do I know you aren't lying to me…"

"I can not lie to you, Sansa. There is nothing to gain from lying to you." He said. "I've seen the letters from the Twins myself. Your brother is still very much alive."

She swallowed hard, taking a moment to fully process everything. "Thank you… for telling me this."

"You can not let anyone know that we had this conversation. Not Margaery, not Lady Olenna, not Shae." He said. "No one."

"You have my word."


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana and Robb prepare to journey into Riverrun. Alana has a nightmare.

The armor that Lord Mallister had given him was perhaps just a hair too tight for his liking, but it was a luxury at such short notice. After a long day in the summers heat with little room to breathe, it was a relief for him to take off his chest plate.

With the horses tied up for the night, and a warm fire heating their meal for the night, both of them were put at some ease. The long road ahead didnt seem all that long as they were already almost in Riverrun.

"We're not much farther from Riverrun now, we should be less than a days journey north." Robb said.

"Are you prepared for Riverrun?" Alana said. "You might have to put that sword Lord Mallister gave you to some use."

"I can swing a sword as well as I could before." He said. He drew his sweat soaked under shirt up over his head, letting his skin breath. She founded that the northern chill still stretched this far south, so she kept her undershirt on though it reeked of sweat and grime. Perhaps she was hadnt adjusted to traveling outside King's Landing's heat, or perhaps he was so use to the fridged northern winds. "You need not worry about me."

"I've never actually seen you swing a sword." She smirked. "That might not me worth much."

"You think you're funny, don't you?" He cracked a smile. "To be fair I've never actually seen _you_  swing a sword either."

She rolled her eyes, his wound on his shoulder catching his attention. She watched ridged red line that stripped his broad shoulder flex and stretch to his movements. It would be a nasty scar. But and old saying in King's Landing is that scars harden a boy into a man. It hadn't fully healed just yet, the line of flesh that sealed the broken skin together was fragile and could easily be split open.

"Did you're sword have a name before it was lost?" She asked. She re positioned herself on his right to get a decent look at his healing wound.

"No." He said flatly, his demeanor had shifted.

"All great swords have a name." She said. Her finger tips ran along the still inflamed and irritated flesh; with not even the slightest movement or sound from him. Perhaps his flesh had healed to where it looked worse than it actually was, or perhaps he just put a new wound on his tongue from biting it.

"My sword was never great." He said.

"Oh come now, that sword had won you many battles." She said.

"That sword never had any meaning to me. It won me my battles, it was held by the once King in the North. But it didn't mean any more to me than that." He said solemnly. "I had wanted to weild my father's sword like I was intended to. But apparently the request to have it returned with my father's remains was too much for Joffery to answer."

Alana could see the internal war that raged in his eyes. It was a simple, honorable request. There would be no harm in returning Ned Stark's remains to Winterfell to be buried. There would be no harm in returning Ice to the family that weilded it either to be entombed or passed down. Joffery chose to take Ice as a trophy rather than show a broken family some mercy.

"Do you know what had become of that sword?" He said.

Last she heard, the sword was going to be melted down and reforged into a smaller sword. Ice was a massive greatsword. Joffery certianly couldnt wield it even if he wanted to; he didnt have the strength to. Pure valyrian steel going to waste on the Lannisters.

"No... I don't." She said.

His eyes fell dim. "Well… It was just a thought." He said.

It pained her, truely it did. She had only spent a short while with him and her heart bled for him. Everything had happened so fast. The boy had barely become a man and he was forced into a game he could barely play. Everything about his tired eyes cried that all he wanted was escape this conflict he was brought into.

He was strange, he often threw up a shield to disguise his pain with humor, or a display of strength. But she found with time that his sheild was cracking. Moments of weakness such as this one were growing more common, and she couldn't blame him.

"You should get some rest." He said. "I'll take the first watch tonight."

"Are you sure?" Alana said. "I can…"

"No." He said. "You've stayed up first the past two nights. Get some rest."

><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*

_The Red Keep was still and silent as she returned to her private quarters after a long day. Alana retired to her personal chambers after a hot bath to work out thw muscle aches. She pulled a long night shirt from her dresser._

_There was a uneasy feeling not sitting quite right in her stomache. She felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck for no reason imparticular. She felt as though she was being watched._

_She wipped around quickly, hugging her night shirt to her chest to cover herself. Jaime leaned against the door frame, arms crossed, a firm smirk engraved on his face._

" _How long were you standing there?" She sputtered._

_"Long enough." He said smuggly, arching an eyebrow. He eyed her from head to toe._

_"A little privacy please… I was changing, of course you would alright know that." She said quietly, staring at the floor._

_"You're in the King's Guard now. You have no privacy here." He smirked._

_He stalked closer, her heart throbbing in her chest with each menacing step he took._

_"King Robert Baratheon invites a young female into his King's Guard. Odd given his reputation for banging every girl in his path." He said, growing uncomfortabley close to her. With just a few steps he had her backed up against the wall. His hand pressed against the wall to the side of her head, trapping her between him and solid stone. "Exactly who did you fuck to get in this position?"_

_She gripped her night shirt tightly until her fingers threatened to pierce the fabric. "Get. Out." She growled._

_"You think you have a bite like a lion, don't you? He said, voice growing into a growl. She could feel his breath against her face. "Trust me Lana… you'll find the lion in you, but not the way you think."_

_Alana slapped both hands against hist chest, and shoved him as hard as she could._

_He barely budged, but he most certianly retaliated. He shoved her hard against the wall, his hand latching around her thoat, squeezing until she thought he was trying to strangle her. Her night shirt fell from her fingers as she brought both hands up to try and pry his hand from her throat._

_"Ohhh Alana…"_

_"Alana!"_

"Alana!"

With a hard throb in her chest she was ripped fron her sleep. Her hands smacked his chest hard, trying to push him away from her. He didn't budge, but she did tear his breath from his chest.

"Easy! Easy…" his grasp on her arms never lightened. "It was just a dream."

Robb. It was only Robb. Jaime wasn't here. Jaime was either in King's Landing or dead, but he wasn't here.

She grasped his forearms tightly, her fingernails threatening to pierce his skin. He pulled her firmly against him. He could feel her lightening fast heart beat, the adrenaline tremors in her hands as she grasped his shoulders tightly.

"Its alright." He said. "Everything is alright."

She buried her face in his shoulder, hiding her frantic tears from him. She fought so hard to keep her distressed breathing from turning into out right sobs, though she did not succeed. Sweat dripped from her forehead, disguising her tears.

_"It was just a nightmare."_


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb and Alana ride through Riverrun.

The full moon dipped below the horizon and the warm streaks of pink and orange began to paint the river valley. Black peaks of roof tops stabbed through the thick morning mist. The Lannister army was scheduled to move through Riverrun today; hopefully they'd be half way to the Crossroads by the time they saw the edge of Riverrun.

"Have you ever been to Riverrun before?" Robb said.

"No. I have not been any futher north than Ashmark until arrived. Our journey together is the most I've seen of the Riverlands." She said. "Have you?"

He nodded. "A few times, yes. My mother's former house held Riverrun for many years. House Tully." He said.

"Do you like it here?" She said simply. "I know you're a long way from Winterfell."

"It's a bit too warm for me here, I prefer the cold." He said.

Too warm for him here? Oh dear the man wouldnt survive a summer in King's Landing. She couldn't help but laugh, drawing a confused look from him.

"What? Is that funny?" He chuckled.

"Too warm?" She laughed. "Oh my the Seven forbid that Lord Stark breaks a sweat!"

"Oh shut it! I'm a northerner, I like the cold!"

"And I'm a southerner, I like the heat!"

Robb rolled his eyes. "Oh dear Lady Caster, do you need to borrow my cloak? Is it too fridged for you?"

If it weren't for fear of falling off her horse she would have smacked him in the chest. It had been years since she experienced the cold. She was only but a girl when she last experienced a winter.

"It hasn't been cold in King's Landing since my 10th name day, leave me alone." She said.

"Is that how long it's been? Seven Hells…" He sighed. "This coming winter is going to be brittle, I can feel it."

"You know… I've never actually seen snow." She said.

His eyes blew wide, completely dumbfounded. Snow was as normal to him as breathing. The North was not complete without snow. "You've never seen snow? Not even in the last winter?"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't. It never snowed in King's Landing. If it did, I was to young to remember it."

"Be prepared Lana." He said. "Next stop is the Wall after we leave the Vale. You'll be wading in waist high snow in the middle of summer."

"I'm sure I'll manage."

Their chatter stowed as they entered the lion's den. She couldn't help but feel her heart rate rise just a bit. She had hoped that they would pass through Riverrun with the Lannister army just barely on their heels, but it seemed as though to Frey's had beat them here.

Dozens of soldier line the streets. They weren't Lannister men, not a lion's crest to be seen. The Lannister army hadn't moved through yet as excepted. Instead, the twin peaks of a draw bridge was carved into their chest plates. The Frey's army had already arrived. They had probably occupied Riverrun since the wedding to drive out any Tully loyalists and to open the road for the Lannister army to move through unhindered. Half burned Tully banners lined the upward struts lf the rooftops. Piles of corpses gathered in the back alleys waiting to be burned; most likely Tully loyalists that resisted.

Blood pounded in his ears, heart beating harshly against his chest plate with every beat. He drew his hood up over his head. He knew he had previously said that hiding in plain sight was the best way to go, but he felt if he wasn't cautious he wouldn't live to eat his words. All of Walder Frey's advisors and lieutenants have probably been informed that Robb escaped the Twins by now. In that case, they had to pray that no one would recognize his face. The fact that his face would never be on a wanted poster plastered on every street marker and house was the only advantage they had.

"Just keep your head down and we should walk right on through without a hitch." She said.

Their slow trot down the main road of Riverrun was even more agonizingly slow with the common folk crowding the streets, indifferent to the half ton stallions trying to make their way through. Occasionally a passer by would glance over their shoulder at them but would dismiss them as wanderers. He noticed that her hand did not leave the hilt of her sword.

"Oi, you there! Stop for a moment." A group of the Frey's men, four or so, halted them in the middle of the street. The urge to keeo on gling straight past them briefly flashed through her mond, but trampling a man with horse wasn't the best decision while trying to lay low.

"Where'd you get armor like that?" One of them said.

"Probably stole it from some knight in King's Landing." Another said.

"Are you daft boy? She's probably a knight!" A third said.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb reaches acceptance.

With Riverrun miles from their backs, their minds could finally rest. Looking over your shoulder every few steps, second guessing every shadow in the night, fearing that a wandering stranger recognized them when they stared for just a bit too long, it all was so mentally exhausting.

Their hot meals were just begining to settle in their bellies. The sun had retired for the night hours ago, but neither of them were weary enough to sleep just yet. As the fire started to burn it self out, the dying ambient light receeded, revealing a gorgeous blanket of stars high above them. Alana stared up at them, hugging her knees close to her chest. The wind that drew across the plains cut right through her cloth tunic.

"Here…"

Robb drapped his heavy fur cloak around her shoulders before comfortably sitting himself next to her.

"What a view…" Robb said. "Almost makes me forget where we are right now."

"I've never seen so many stars… I thought there was this much light in the the dark." She said solemnly. "I never saw anything like this in King's Landing…" 

Robb tucked his hands behind his head, laying flat in the meadow grass. He couldnt imagine a night without a view like this. He would stare out the window of his bed chambers for what felt like hours before finally falling asleep.

"You never did tell me what it was like growing up in King's Landing." He said.

"A boring tale." She said. "Saved for another time, if it still interests you by then."

A sharp one she was. If he were ever right about something, it was that he was right to trust his gut when she peaked his interest in Ashemark. With the year mark of their time together drawing closer and closer, he still could not figure the woman out. The tale of the Ebony Knight was an enigma wrapped in a shroud of false faces and deception. No one ever knew much about what lied under the armor. Many thought that she was a *he*, for no woman would be able to display such strength when slicing down rapists and thieves. Equally as many thought he was a *she*, for no man ever was able to cut through foes with such grace, with such elegance. She was a master of masks, and he still had yet to find the one that fit her.

"What do you think has become of Winterfell?" She said.

"I can only imagine… the Greyjoys laid seige to Winterfell, but the Boltons claimed Winterfell after we fled the Twins." He said. "Depending on the size of the fleet Theon took to Winterfell, he may still hold it."

"You sound skeptical." She said.

"The Boltons are bloodthirsty, their men are far more ruthless than any Ironborn soldier." Robb said. "And I know Theon's father, he wouldn't send his best men with Theon, he doesn't care enough for him."

There was a tone of sorrow in his voice. She remembered feeling sorry for a wooden table that was the outlet of Robb's rage when he found out the Greyjoys had laid siege to his home. But now that the chair had been kicked out from under him, the initial pain from it had started to die down and he could start to reflect on what had happened.

"You don't sound as angry as you did… about Theon I mean." She said turning to face him, trying to read the slightest expression buried in an emotionless face.

"It's hard for me to forgive what he's done… but it's just as hard for me fo hate him." He said. "He has a very misguided sense of loyalty. He was a prisoner of the Iron rebellion, but he was family to everyone. He was my father's ward, a 7th child to the Starks, and my best friend."

"And he would rather run back to his father who wouldn't piss on him if he were on fire." Alana groaned.

Balon Greyjoy was far from the ideal father yet Theon insisted that he needed to prove himself to him.

"It's hard to abandon your house… no matter how miserable it may be. Theon was to be the heir to the salt throne, but lost that chance when he came to Winterfell. My father loved him like he was his own, we've offered everything we had to him so he would live a normal life, he wasnt a prisoner he was family…" Robb said. "This… delusion of what loyalty actually is to him… I fear he is more lost than I am."

She watched his face turn away from her, hiding his red rimmed eyes. When he first heard that Theon had taken over Winterfell, the news tore his heart out, and he was ready to tear Theon's heart out shortly after. A lonely tree stump was the outlet for Robbs anger the night he received the raven. To watch the this dramatic shift in Robb's demeanor was rather… warming to her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He arched an eyebrow, wiping his damp red rimmed eyes.

"I've been with you for only a few short months… but you've changed so much in that time. I'd say your acting less like the King in the North, and more like Robb Stark." She said. "You dont seem as cold, I would say."

"I'm in a different position now… anger would win my battles. But anger won't get me anywhere here." He said. "Anger wont bring my wife back, it wont bring my son back, and it wont bring back my parents."

Alana never tried to prod at Robb after the events at the Twins. She had heard that it's better to rip the bandage off while it still hurts, but she never believed that. Why tear open a wound that was just begining to heal? Now it felt as though Robb's wounds have healed and were begining to scar. It will be a scar that will take longer to fade, but it will soon fade like the rest.


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tywin discusses arrangements for Alana and Robb before a wedding.

An unnerving silence simmered in the walls of the Red Keep. The halls were alive with servants running to prepare for the King of the Seven Kingdoms to be wed, but no words were spoken.

Servants ran through the halls quickly. Everything must be perfect on the day of the King's wedding. The finest wines must be brought up from the cellars, the Dornish wines must be brought in from the docks. A full 5 course meal must be prepared prefectly, no burned pork roasts or sour tarts to be found. The decor must be vibrant to please Lady Tyrell, but not too vibrate to displease King Joffrey as he hated an overabundance of flowers. And finally, the pigeon pie must be baked to perfection.

While the majority of the Red Keep was busying themselves with the daunting task given to them, Cersei was far too worried for an entirely different reason.

She burst into Lord Tywin's chambers like the castle was under seige. Jaime was already in their father's chambers, discussing security arrangments firbthe wedding later that day no doubt. 

"Father, a word if I may." She said abruptly.

Tywin eyed his daughter cautiously. 

"Take a seat. What troubles you?"

Tywin's calm and composed tone almost insulted the queen reagant.

"What troubles me?" Cersei scoffed. "What troubles me is that it's been months since you sand you would find a solution to Robb Stark and you haven't done a bloody thing!"

Tywin glanced momentarily at Jaime. Now that the subject was fresh in their minds, he could read it on Jaime's face that he was wondering the same thing Cersei was.

"I was going to wait until after your son's wedding. Today is a day to rejoice, not to worry about battle plans. But if it will put you at some ease we can discuss this now." Tywin said. "Tracking the boy has been difficult because everyone believes him to be dead. Lord Varys isn't able to use his spies to try and track his movements. But we can narrow his whereabouts down reasonably. He is either fleeing to the Eryie to find his aunt Lady Arryn, or he is fleeing to the Wall to either find his bastard brother or to take the black."

"And what makes you so sure he's headed to one of those two places and he isn't already on a ship to Braavos?" Cersei scoffed.

"He has nothing besides Alana. There is no possible way he made it to a port on foot already and if he did, there's no way that he made in on a ship without The Boltons, the Freys, or hell even our own men finding him." Jaime said.

The noose was beginning to tighten. Westeros seemed like a large land to a single man, yet so small when that man is a wanted man.

"If he runs south, our armies will find him. If he runs northwest to Winterfell, the Boltons will find him. If he stays in the Riverlands, the Freys will find him. He can't run to a port on either coast without running into us or any other of the three that want him dead. He can't run to Dorne without passing through us and the Tyrells." Tywin stated. "But if he runs to the Eryie, he can convince his aunt to lend him a small army. If he runs to the wall he can reunite with his bastard brother to try to retake Winterfell. Unforunately, these are the only two places in Westeros our armies cant reach. But a single person can. I've made arrangements for just that, two of the finest assassins money can buy are on their way north as we speak."

Jaime narrowed his eyes just a bit. "I never thought you would resort to highering assassin's." 

"These two individuals are no common sellsword. An ex knight from Casterly Rock, will be headed to the Eryie. The other, a Bravoosi woman a master at luring men to their deaths will be headed to Molestown to try and intercept them on the way to the Wall." Tywin said.

Cersei shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She didn't approve of her father's methods. Hiring sellswords was only going to stain the family name more than it already was, but they didn't have many options left. An argument wasn't going to solve anything.

Jaime leaned forward. "Will the crown be able to afford their price?" He said, attempted to move the tension in the room forward a bit.

"With a… generous donation from the Freys following their incompetence, yes." Tywin said.

"And what of the girl he's with?" Cersei said coldly.

"To be disposed of along with the boy." Tywin said. Jaime seemed to flinch at the mention of her, much more at the mention if her death.

"Undoubtedly, she will know things from her time here in the Red Keep. Letting her live is a risk I'm not willing to take.


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb and Alana arrive at the Bloody Gate. Robb ponders on Joffrey's death.

Weeks had past before the news of King Joffery's death had reached The King in the North. The lastest gossip tends to fall on deaf ears when sliding through town after town as quietly as possible. The news of Joffery's death did not take Robb nor Alana by surprise. Joffery had gathered many enemies in the short time that he was King. Tyrion's arrest was more of a shock than anything.

The road to the Bloody Gate was lengthy, the perfect time for them to say their peace on the matter. That last thing either of them needed was to bottle words up. The last time that bottle finally exploded, it didn't end very well with either of them.

"Do you think Sansa had something to do with Joffery's death?" Robb said.

Alana ran the leather or the reins between her fingers. "Honestly… no. I don't." She said. "I can see why she would do it, but your sister is a smart girl. If she did poison then king, many would assume it was her. And she is alone in the lion's den."

Robb remained skeptical, furrowing his brow. "I just can't picture the imp doing such a thing. Dont take this the wrong way, but poison is a woman's weapon. Subtle, discrete, easy for a hand maiden or Sansa to get close enough to use." He said.

"I don't believe Tryion was responsible, but I don't believe Sansa is either." She said. "Tyrion has no love for the little monster but he wouldn't harm him, but he would risk crossing Cersei or Tywin. Both of them wanted him dead for years but he hasn't given them a reason to have him killed, why give them one with Joffery's murder? He isnt that careless."

"Careless. That doesn't seem so foriegn to the Lannisters now does it?" Robb arched an eyebrow quizically. 

"Maybe not but it doesn't change my stance. I'd sooner believe that Cersei offed her own child before Tyrion killed Joffrey." Alana shrugged.

Robb shrugged. The witch hunt for Joffrey's murderer was not his concern nor will it ever be his concern.

"Do you think Sansa made it out of King's Landing?" Robb asked quietly.

Alana swallowed hard. It was a question she couldn't know the answer to. She didn't want to be the pessimist here but telling him what he wanted to hear was only going to make it that much more bitter if it didn't turn out to be true.

"I don't know, Robb." She said. With her eyes straight on the road ahead of them, she watch his lips fall into a frown out of the corner of her eye. "But since we heard that the Lannisters were looking for her nearly 3 weeks after his murder, leads me to believe that she wasn't captured. If she is still in Kings Landing, she elluded the Lannisters at least for a while." 

She watched his shoulders fall, some ease working its way into his tense demeanor.

"Sansa doesn't have many friends in King's Landing." Robb said.

"Perhaps she made some." She said. "A woman in foriegn lands does not survive without friends."

"She was a wolf in the lion's den." He insisted.

"She is a girl who hates the Lannisters surrounded by people who hate the Lannisters." Alana said. "You'd be surprised how many people in the Red Keep would turn on the Lannisters if they thought they could get away with it."

Robb cocked his head to the side in disbelieve, arching an eyebrow skeptically. King's Landing politics from the exterior seemed far more complicated than anything that could stir about in Winterfell. From the inside, he imagined it was probably much worse than anything he could picture.

Joffery was no dove by any means, it didnt surprise him that someone else beside Sansa in the Red Keep wanted him dead. 

"Perhaps she escaped with the help of Lord Baelish, your mother's old friend. Or maybe the Tyrells snuck her out of the city." She said. 

He pondered on the idea for a moment. Honestly the concept of the Tyrells helping out Sansa wasn't all that far of a stretch. The Tryells flocked to who ever they believed was going to have the advantage. Renley was not their greatest choice but at least he was relatively calm. Joffrey on the other hand was quite a handful. They may have flocked to the Lannisters, but that didn't mean they had to love them by any means. Helping Sansa and murdering Joffery would certianly tip the scales in their favor. All of this would simmer in the back of his mind, for there was no need to worry himself with it.

Robb was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the Bloody Gate drawing closer. The path narrowed ahead and the cut cliffs grew higher. The peak of the Bloody Gate cut the pathway before them. Archers lined the cliff side. The dove and moon crest on their shields brought them some comfort.

His grip tigjtened on the riegns of his saddle until his knuckles turned white. They stopped just before the gate, anxiously awaiting passage. Safety was just on the other side of this gate, so close that they could touch it.

"Who stands at the Bloody gate?" The knight before them boomed.

Robb swallowed hard, briefly glancing at Alana. His heart hammered in his chest as he pieced together a response.

"Robb Stark, nephew of Lysa Arryn. And his king's guard, Alana Caster." He said, able to smooth over the nerves in his voice pretty easily.

The knight that gave the order looked around to his fellow knights, a few whispers among the few of them. They all shook their heads.

"Robb Stark is dead." The knight said flatly.

Alana hung her head in defeat. This was one of her fears that simmered in the back of her mind on their journey. She looked to Robb for an answer, but his eyes remained fixed on the knight before him.

"We'll surrender our weapons, bring us before Lady Arryn and she'll vouche for me. I swear it." Robb said firmly. "Turn us away and we'll be dead before the weeks end."

The knight stared at them skeptically, almost challenging them to stand their ground. Alana pleaded silently for passage. The last of their supplies had been used up this morning. If they were turned away, they wouldn't make it back to a village before nightfall. Her heart froze solid in her chest as the knight moved to speak.

"Open the gate!"


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb and Alana are brouggt before Lysa Arryn.

The Eryie seemed almost like it belonged in a fairytale. Alana had never seen the outside of King's Landing's walls until less than a year ago; she never imagined there was this much beauty in Westeros. The mountains that enclosed the Eryie were frosted with light snow on the peaks. The castle didn't compare to the Red Keep.

The winding halls decorated with intricate vines and white falcons. Canvased artworks of mountain ranges and snow covered valleys liked the walls. The interior was much more vibrant than the Red Keep. The Red Keep was not very dreary, especially near the gardens. But she always hated how Robert Baratheon would stuff his game with cotton and have their heads hung on the walls as trophies.

"I haven't seen Aunt Lysa in years… The last time I was in the Eryie, Bran was still in my mother's belly." Robb whispered, just loud enough for Alana to hear.

"Do you think she will recognize you?" Alana said. They were so close. So close to safety. So close to starting to mend a broke family. Her stomach twisted at the thought of Lady Arryn over looking him. But so many years had pasted and now the boy she last saw had become a hardened man.

Robb swallowed hard. "I don't know. I was only a child the last time I saw her."

They were herded like cattle into the throne room. A woman who she assumed to be Lady Arryn was speaking with another council member. Her son sat leisurely on the throne, playing with a toy wood falcon. That is until he snapped off one of the wings of the falcon like a twig before throwing the toy out of what she believed to be the moon door.

Lady Arryn glanced over her shoulder, acknowledging the guests brought to her. She muttered a few finally words to her council member before he scurried off, trying desperately to maintain a hold on the stack of books in his arms.

"To what do I owe this council, Ser Lynderly?" She said, eyes still fixed on Robb.

"My Lady…" Ser Lynderly kneeled. "This man arrived at the Bloody Gate claiming to be Robb Stark. "He claimed that you would recognize him and vouche for him."

Lysa crossed the room cautiously, eyeing Robb from head to toe. Everyone fell silent, the only sound in the throne room was her heals striking the marble floor.

"Why have you brought him before me." She said narrowing her eyes, almost inspecting Robb. "The King in the North is dead."

Robb's heart sank, his blood iced. They were so close…

"We just wanted to be sure my Lady… News from King's Landing grows less and less reliable with every passing day." Ser Lynderly said. "I am sorry to have disturbed you."

Ser Lynderly turned to issue the order to have them escorted out. But before he could get a solid word out, Lysa took a few more steps towards Robb, her eyes fixed on his. A small smile qwerked at her lips as she reached up, cupping the side of his face.

"You always did have your mother's eyes." She smiled. A wave of relieve crashed hard into the both of them. A heavy weight fell from their shoulders, allowing both of them to breathe for the first time in months. She drew him in to her arms with an embrace as comforting as his mothers.

"Robin dear… go fetch your friend Alayne please. Take the back stairs." Lysa said over her shoulder, her son scurrying from his spot on the throne.

"Oh my dear Robb… I had heard what those savages had done in the Riverlands... They told us you were dead. They said they had sewn your direwolf's head on to your corpse and thrown your mother's body into the river." Lysa said, she squeezed him hard, barely allowing him to breathe. "How did you manage to escape? Is your mother with you? Did she escape too?"

She released him, allowing him some breathing room. His eyes were red rimmed. Alana knew he was fighting to maintain composure, a fight he may end up losing.

He glanced at Alana, who stood timidly and silent of to the right. "The only reason I managed to make it out alive is standing here with me. This is Alana. A knight that swore her services to me." He said.

"How did you meet such a girl?" Lysa said in almost astonishment, eyeing Alana from head to toe.

"She was wandering in Ashemark when we were pushing towards Casterly Rock. She swore her sword to me and she's been by my side ever since." Robb said.

"Well… the Gods work in mysterious ways. It was no accident that you met her in Ashemark." She said. "It wasn't your time to leave us in the Twins."

She turned, resting a comforting hand on Alana's shoulder. "My dear… words can not say how thankful I am that you brought my nephew back to me. Thanks to you we can start to reunite a shattered family."

He knew words would never be enough. You can never truely thank someone for saving your life, you can only hope to return the favor. She, a complete stranger before just a few months ago, has given him so much more than friends that he has known for years ever have. He knew this. And because he knew this, he could only hope that he could start to repay her.

"Your mother… did she…" Lysa said softly. He could tell it in her voice that she still clung to the faintest glimmer of hope that Catelyn was still alive.

"No…. She did not survive. Lord Forrester did not survive." Robb said solemnly. "I don't know what became of the Tully's."

_Lannister dogs…_

His words were a dull burn in the back of her skull. "Well... it's all over now. You can start to find some peace here in the Eryie. You are safe here." Lysa said.

"I did have some matters that we need to-"

"What is it Robin?"

Robb's focus shattered at the sound of that voice, a voice he never thought he'd hear again. Her mother's vibrant red hair and icy blue eyes made his heart melt. Robin led 'Alayne' by the hand through the throne room, but Alayne was not her name.

"Sansa…"

The moment her eyes reached his, the poor girl was reduced to tears. No words escaped her as her face reddened, only a strangled sob that could have at one point resembled a word. He darted across the throne room like a bolt launched from a crossbow. His arms wrapped around her tightly before they both crumbled to the floor. Her tears over come her as the poor girl could hardly piece together a coherent word. She clung to his armor with an iron grasp as if he was going to slip away through her fingers if she didn't. She buried her face in his shoulder, her tears falling on his chest plate

 _He was right. He was right and I didn't believe him._ Sansa wanted to scream to the heavens, begging forgiveness for abandoning prayer, especially when they brought her brother back to her. So much of her wanted to call Tyrion a liar that day, especially when it was his family that tore her's apart. But just the smallest part of her clung to hope, and she was so thankful that she never let go of that part.

"Cersei told you were dead… she told me all the things they had done to you and mother…" Sansa sobbed. She couldn't squeeze him any harder if she tried. It felt as though she needed some reassurance that he was real, that this wasn't a dream, that she wasn't going to wake up cold and hollow.

"Shhh… it's alright." He whispered, his fingers threading through her hair. "I'm here, and I'm never going to leave you again."

Tears at the rims over her eyes threatened to have Alana join Sansa in a tangled mess of sobs. This moment made every hurdle they had to cross, every fork in the road and every kick in the teeth worth it. Her heart finally warmed after weeks out in the cold. Perhaps this was the start of rebuilding after years of isolation. Perhaps this was the first step in piecong a shattered family back together.

At least this was an oath she kept.

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb and Alana settle in and discuss their next move.

Clean clothes, a hot bath, and a warm bed to sleep in were things that she always had in the Red Keep. She never considered them a luxury until now. After months of sleeping in the dirt, she wouldn't dare take them for granted ever again. Fortunately, Lysa had a few hand maidens that were very similar in size to Alana that were able to spare a few extra dresses while her clothes were being cleaned and her armor was being repaired.

After being scrubbed raw by the hand maidens and the solid layer of dirt and sweat was gone, she retired to her bed chambers for the evening. The room she was given far different than her living quarters in the Red Keep, and although the Baratheons didn't give the knights in their Kings Guard the scraps, she was much more comfortable here. The guest bedrooms were quite gorgeous and large with a view of the Vale's mountains.

It felt nice to her to wrap herself insomething that wasnt worn cloth, sweat absorbed leather and hard armor. The soft silk and satin robes that she was given were gentle on her bruised skin. Her muscles ached from a long journey, it felt nice to let herself fall into the pile of bed sheets and pillows that seemed to swallow her on a bed much larger than anything she's slept on before.

Sleep could have taken her but a soft tap at the door stirred her comfort.

"Come in." Alana said, sitting herself up.

She was a bit surprised to see Robb at her door, but his face was not unwelcomed. She figured he would he with Sansa or Lysa catching up about his journey here.

"Not a bad time is it? I know you must be tired." He stopped and smiled, chuckling a bit to himself. "I never thought I'd see you in a dress."

Lana rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Comfy, but I'd much rather be in my armor." She said, sitting herself up. "She smiled. "But it's quite comfortable. How are you adjusting?"

"Sansa and Lysa have finally calmed themselves, and I can already hear the guards whispering rumors. But, there's a roof over our heads for the first time in months." He said. "I can't complain."

"You know this doesn't end here." She said. As long as the Bolton banner hangs on the gates of Winterfell, his journey was not yet over.

"I know…" Robb sighed. "Winterfell is still held by the Boltons. Rickon and Bran are still in trapped. The Freys hold the Tullys hostage. And the Riverlands and the North are in turmoil. This is far from over."

Alana sat herself up from the bed. "So what's our next step?" She said without the slightest hesitation. "Where to next?"

He narrowed his eyes. "I should be asking you what your next step is."

Alana cocked her head to the side. "Why?" She said innocently. "Did you think I would just leave you just like that?"

She didn't quite understand why he looked so dumbfounded. She wouldn't dare leave him on his own. Now that he had some breathing room, his next move was probably to head further North to the Wall to reunite with his brother Jon. And if he couldn't reunite with Jon, at least he could get a foothold against the Boltons in Winterfell and hopefully find Bran and Rickon.

"Let me get this straight. You saved my stubborn ass after I tried to get rid of you. You stayed with me traveling for _months_ in the cold and sleeping in the dirt. And you _still_ want to stay with me?" Robb said. "I appreciate all you've done for me, but you do realize this journey is only going to get more dangerous from here."

He fought hard to push the words out of his throat. "I won't fault you if you leave."

Lana sighed, pushing herself up from the bed. "But harboring a criminal wanted by the crown wasnt so dangerous?" She said. "I know this is only going to get more dangerous from here, that's why I don't want you to have to do this alone."

Her words floored him, his heart swelling to an almost uncomfortable size as it leaped into his throat. He was torn between two unpaored emotions, love and fear. The only one that had cared so much as her was his mother, and her passion was just as strong as Talisa's was. He couldnt truly tell if his heart had skipped a beat or stopped entirely. She had the heart of a northerner in the shell of a southerner.

"You know I can't offer you anything in return… you know I can't keep my end of the bargain we made in Ashemark, not anymore." He said, his words almost gagging him. She swatted his words away like flies.

"I don't care about the bloody title, Robb. I care about _you_. The entire time I was with you after the Twins, I didn't help you because I thought it would fix my broken title, I did it because I thought it was right." She said. "The Lannisters want me dead just as much as you. Even more so now that we walked out of the Twins together. That title isn't going to me very well now is it?"

His tongue was tied in a knot, unable to piece together a coherent answer.

"And… you did promise me that I would see snow. But I see no snow." Lana stabbed a playful finger into his chest. For just a brief moment she could feel the wildly erratic rythem of his heart beat. "You arent a liar now are you?"

"God damn it woman…" he sighed. "You are going to be the death of me…"

His hands went to her back, pulling her close in a tight embrace. His heart was soaring at speeds she didn't think were humanly possible, and for a moment she thought her heart was going to catch up to his. Her cheeks turned rosey as she let out a soft sigh and burried her face in his chest.

"The journey to the Wall won't be easy." He said. "We're heading into Bolton territory. I don't want to begin to think about what they'll do if they get their hands on us."

"I'd like to see that bastard try." She scoffed.

The sudden sharpness of her tongue drew a soft chuckle from him. Slow but surely, he released his tight grip from around her.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is our next move? Where will we go after we leave the Eryie." She cocked her head to the side.

"Well… It all depends on what my Aunt Lysa says. Depending on if we can get her help or not, we may be headed to the Wall alone." He said. His hands slid up to her shoulders, gentle pushing her back down so she was seated on the edge of the bed. "But we'll worry about that tomorrow. You should get some rest, you deserve a good nights rest." 


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana's nightmare leaves Robb demanding answers. *Warning: Pretty sensitive content implied here. Read at your own risk *

_She stared in the mirror of her vanity for what felt like hours. She gripped her chestplate tightly until her knuckles turned white. Her heart rammed into her ribcage._

_'If someone finds put about this…'_

_It didn't fit anymore. Her chestplate didn't fit anymore. It was too tight around the stomach. Her armore had been growing tighter day by day. Once she felt her armor grow skin tight she knew what had happened. But now that her armor didnt even fit anymore, she couldn't hid it._

' _I can send this set to my father… he can adjust it and no one will ever know. At least for now…'_

_Having the chestplate adjusted would buy her another 2 weeks at best. It was only a matter of time before the little light simmering in her would started to get bigger._

_There was a tap at her door._

_"Doesn't fit, does it?" He said._

_She felt her blood run cold as she turned around. His eyes were deathly, fixed hard on her._

_"You paid a visit to the Grand Maester and bought him a whore for the night so he wouldn't tell anyone." He said. "How long did you think you were going to go before anyone found out? You armor already doesn't fit anymore."_

_She bit her cheek, resting her hand on her stomach._

_"Just long enough for me to leave the Red Keep." She said quietly._

_"King's Guards seats are for life, Alana."_

_Something inside her snapped. Everything she had worried about for the past view months finally poured out. She felt her face heat up as her tongue lashed._

_"Then what would you have me do Jaime! I didn't ask for this! I didnt ask for any of this!" She fought so hard to keep her tears back. "Tell me Jaime what would you have me do? If I leave, no one has to know about his…"_

_Jaime just sighed and shook his head._

_"If you leave you'll be branded as a traitor, you could never show your face in King's Landing ever again." He said. His eyes hardened, his voice low._

_"And if I stay, everyone will know… and you'll be brought down with me." She said. "Which is it Jaime?"_

_She struck a nerve. Hard. His eyes flared in rage. "No one can ever know about this." He hissed._

_"They will if I stay here!"_

_He stalked closer. He flashed an object in his right hand, very briefly. She paid no mind until he stabbed said object into her dresser top. It was a knife._

_Her blood iced in an instant. A heavy weight set firmly in her chest._

_"Jaime…"_

_He said nothing. His stone cold expression never changed, his dead eyes fixed hard on her._

_"Jaime, you don't have to do this…" Her tears overflowed without hesitation. She took backed away until her back pressed against the stone cold wall, trapped like a caged animal._

_"I don't want to do this either! I don't have a choice!" His voice broke, his eyes reddening. "Know one can find out about this!"_

_"Jaime! NO!"_

**********

Alana woke sharply with a scream sharp enough to curddle anyone's blood. Her chest heaved, trying desperately to take in air that just didn't seem to be there. Her fingers twisted harshly in the fabric of the sheets, threatening to tear the luxury fabric. She doubled over, her abdomen seared with sharp tearing pain. It wasn't until she caught her breath that she was able to tell that it wasn't blood on her skin, it was just cold sweat.

Lana pushed herself out of bed, amazed that her legs were able to support her. She stumbbled out of bed, nearly tripping over her own night gown and bed sheets. She slid open her balcony doors, letting the cold wind pour in and hopefully cool her searing skin.

"Lana?" She hardly heard her door open. She glanced over her shoulder, briefly acknowledging Robb's presence before hiding her eyes. His alarmed state died almost immediately. It was just another one of her nightmares.

"Are you alright?" He snatched her robe off the back of her vanity chair as he crossed the room. He draped her robe over her near bare shoulder. The backs of his fingeres barely brushed her searing skin. She didn't answer him, her eyes avoiding him.

"Lana…" He brushed a loose lock of hair away from her face. Tears streaked her steaming red face. No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes, she couldnt brush away her tears.

"Another nightmare?"

"Just a nightmare, and nothing more." She said flatly.

"They don't seem like _just nightmares._ " Robb said bluntly. "There's something wrong, you know it and I _saw_ it outside Seagard."

She could hear it in his voice, the way his words cracked as he spoke. He was angry, but not at her. He was angry _for_ her. She looked at him with red rimmed eyes and watched how her tears pained him.

"You wouldn't understand, Robb…" she said solemnly.

"So then help me understand. These nightmares arent just bothering you, they're _tormenting_  you." He said, his fierce blue eyes fixed sharply on hers. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me."

She stared at the floor. "You cant help me. Period. The solution to my problem involves putting a sword through the throat of a man I let walk away in Ashemark."

"This is about Jaime?" He sounded almost stunned.

Most that knew of her past are now buried with it. And when she left King's Landing, she intended to keep it that way. But as she locked her past away she wasn't prepared for the weight it would bring.

"Before we meet in Ashemark, how much did you know about me?" Alana asked, her voice shaking.

"You were the Ebony Knight, a knight in solid ebony armor that served in the Kings Guard under Robert Baratheon. You were labled a deserter when you left." Robb answered bluntly but truthfully.

"You knew my title. My actual name meant nothing. I was born into nothing. I came from nothing. My father was a blacksmith, my mother was a whore." She said. "My father never married me off, because he couldnt find anyone that would _want_ me… I became a knight to make something of myself. I wanted I wanted to be more than the bastard daughter of a whore and a poor blacksmith. I was lucky enough to catch the attention of Robert Baratheon."

Robb was never familiar with noble Houses in King's Landing, House Caster never sounded familiar to him when she first stated her name to him. The name wasn't familair because it wasnt worth the dirt on her boots.

"What did Catelyn tell you… about Jaime, and what he did to me…" She said.

"Nothing more than what you told her. He did things to you that would have him sent to the Wall if he were anyone else." Robb said through grinding teeth. "Why? Why would he…"

She shook her head. "I don't know... he never graced me with an answer. Maybe it was because he thought that I had a breaking point like every other knight in the King's Guard. Maybe it was because he couldn't wrap himself around Cersei every night so he decided to crawl into my bed instead." She said. "Or maybe it was because I was just a stupid girl asking too many questions." She couldn't look at him without being racked with shame.

"Did you ever tell anyone about this?" Robb said.

"I did... Your Aunt Lysa actually. Jaime had been particularly rought that night, hed practically beat me to a bloody pulp. I was crying the staircase to the barracks when she saw me." She said. "I told her everything… everything Jaime had done it all just came out of me… and she walked away."

Lysa… He alway knew that she was a woman of inaction but never thought she would fall so far from human as to ignore something like this. John was still hand of the King in this time, perhaps she didn't want to risk the ties.

"You served under Robert Baratheon for two years, what changed… what finally snapped?" He said. For two years she fought against this, there had to be a breaking point.

She took his hand in her, bringing it to her stomach near her left side. Asside from the muscular ridges of her skin,he felt something more harsh. A rough line of flesh that had been broken and resealed by force, thickened so it wouldn't break open again. It was a scar, a fairly recent one, perhaps about the length of his forefinger. She handnt been seriously injured around him, not that he recalled. This had happened before she met him.

"What is that…" He whispered.

"Every night when Jaime had his way with me, he made me drink moon tea so I wouldn't get pregnant. Well… he did it so often and I eventually drank so much of it *that it stopped working*…" She said.

It didn't take him more than a moment for the thoughts to align in his head. His hand snapped away.

"No… no… Lana... he didn't…" he whispered fighting to keep himself from vomiting. "He…"

Her tears flowed freely down her face. "I was going to leave the Red Keep… I was going to leave the city so I could raise my son, no one would ever have to know… but Jaime found out." She sobbed. "I remember Jaime coming into my room. I remember him holding a knife. And then I remember I waking up with the Maesters and midwives were standing over me. They told me I had given birth to a dead baby boy, and that I would never be able to have children ever again."

His grip was white knuckled around the iron banister. His dead eyes were fixed on the cloud hazed mountains below them. It wasn't anger written on his face, it was pure shock. His stomach twisted until it was knotted

Everything he had heard about her. How she abandoned her position out of greed and selfishness. It was wrong. It was all wrong. But know one would ever know the truth. He never fully grasped the weight of how much the name No One's Knight bared on her until now. The name was a constant reminder that she was a victim of a cruel, twisted and sadistic family, and no one would ever hear her voice.

"I can barely close my eyes without seeing his face, seeing what he _stole from me!_ " She sobbed. Her tears flowed without restraint, her weak knees threathening to give out.

His arms circled her waist, pulling her tightly againstg him. Her fingers twisted in his night shirt as she buried her face in chest. She sobbed against him until it hurt to breathe. Her fingers, already biting into his shirt, threatened to bite into his skin as well. His fingers threaded though her long blonde locks. "Shhh…"

"You're the only one that knows my whole story, you're the only one who's care enough to listen." She said.

His heart twisted until the next beat it took hurt him. He could feel her shaking. He could feel the racing rythem of her heart rate. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed but starting to dry, as if she had run out of tears.

"Maybe now you can start to move past this. Now that this isnt sealed inside anymore." He said. "He will never touch you again. No man will ever touch you again." His lips brushed the top of her head. He wouldnt let go until her tears had dried. He watched so much pain surface in her in a matter of moments, and he couldnt bare to look at it anymore.

Her hands slid up his chest, her arms wrapping around his neck in a tight embrace. Her fingers stabbed into her shoulders at the slightest movement, not willing to let go just yet.

"Will you stay with me for the night?"

"Of course."

 


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lysa disproves of Robb and Alana's sleep over.

The sun rose far too quickly for the next morning. As the sun broke through the shudders and shined over her faces, she started to stir. 

Her night gown was thin and she laided under thin sheets, but she found herself feeling unusually warm. The source of the radiating heat she fprgot she invited into her bed last night. Robb was still soundly asleep. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, his chest pressed against her back with his faced burried in the back of her shoulder. The slightest shift in her position cause him to tighten his grip around her waist. Eventually,she managed to twist herself around so she faced him, still locked in his arms.

"Stop moving so much…" he groaned, his voice deep and groggy. He shifted just a bit to get comfortable again, his face burring back into her shoulder. She felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"It's morning. Time to get up." She smiled. If Robb didnt have matters to attend to with his sister and his aunt this.morning, she would have fallen back asleep without a second thought.

He in hailed deeply before buring his face deeper into her shoulder and tightening his arms around her waist. "No."

"No? What do you mean no?" 

"I mean no. Now stop moving so much." He groaned, re-adjusting his spot so he was more comfortable.

"Your aunt will have your skin if you arent out of bed. Only the Seven know what that woman will do." She said.

"I think the Seven can overlook 10 minutes." He said.

She could stop herself from breaking out into laugher. When he finally moved his face from her shoulder, he had that goofy shit eating grin that flustered her so much spread from ear to ear. 

"At least it made you laugh." He smiled. "Did you sleep alright?"

"Definitely better than I would have." She smiled.

"Good." He said. "Thats all that matters."

With a soft tap at her door, Robb almost whined as he released his hold around her so she could get out of bed. To her surprise, lady Arryn was at her door, bright eyed and cheery.

"Good morning deary, I trust you slept well." Lysa said with a cheerful smile. But before Alana could mutter a response, Lysa glanced up over her shoulder and arched an eyebrow. "And I trust that your sleeping companion slept well also." 

Robb sat himself up from the bed, chewing on the inside of his cheek. He got out of bed and prepared for an earful. He felt as though he was preparing for a lengthy scolding from his mother, oh how he didn't miss that feeling.

"Get lost on your way to bed last night?"

He didn't think there was an easy way to respond to that snarky remark, not without a lengthy explanation. Her eyes remained on Robb with her smile growing more false by the second.

"I… um…" there wasnt a response he could piece together without it sounding like he was incriminating himself with something he didn't do.

Her lips twisted into a disappointed scowl. "So, I want dinner this evening to be quite the occasion. To celebrate the return of my niece and nephew, and to celebrate my recent marriage." Lysa said, finally easing an invisible tension. "I want you looking your best dear, which is why I'm having a dress tailored for you."

Alana couldnt quite recall the last time she had worn a dress, or at least one that actually looked nice instead of a burlap sack.

"My lady, that isn't necessary." She insisted.

"Nonsense dear, I won't have the woman that saved my nephew, a knight no less, dressed in rags for this occasion. Perhaps it may not be what your are used to wearing in Kings Landing but the seamstress will try her best."

She didn't know what stung worse, the fact that Lysa called her comfortable attire rags, or the fact that she recalled that Alana was from King's Landing. She remembers. A chill shot up her spine.

"I expect you both to look your best this evening." Lysa said. "And Robb, do try to dress yourself for this evening alone."

Her backhanded tone of voice certainly stung like a slap to the face as she pulled the door shut.

"I'll probably hear an earful about that later…" Robb sighed running a hand through his copper curls. 

"She doesn't think we… does she?" Alana felt the color drain from her face.

"Probably." He said flatly.

Her skin was still riddled with goose bumps. She felt Lysa's hardened stare still burning into her. "She remembered that I was a knight. She recognized me." She said.

Robb pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed with the slightest bit of frustration. "I noticed." He said. "Do you think it may become a problem?"

"I don't know. Granted, I never knew what she said behind closed doors. I only knew that she knew of what Jaime was doing and that she chose to ignore it." Alana said. "If it does become a problem, it wont be because of anything I said. Now that I practically threw everything that happened in King's Landing out on the table last night, I want to try and forget it even happened."

And Robb certianly didnt see anything wrong with that. Perhaps she could finally stop tearing open a wound that had been trying to heal for so long. Jaime was tucked away in the walls of King's Landing, revenge wasnt a viable option.

"Well, you certianly have a long day with the seamstress." He said. "Try not to let it bother you. We'll worry about it if and only if it becomes an issue."


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robb reveals his plan to Lysa.

As she stared in the vanity mirror, she felt conflicted. Her dresses that she wore in King's Landing were barely a step up from up from rags. She never wore anything that hugged her figure so tightly. She had forgotten that she actually had curves. She hadnt really ever felt uncomfortable with her body, she only felt nervous when there was a chance someone could see her scars but nothing more than that. But here, she felt unconfortable in something so tight. When it seemed like the servent couldnt lace the back of her dress any tighter, there was always a way for it to be a bit tighter. Her breasts were firmly propped up on display. The dresses hourglass shape hugged her figure in a way that accentuated her hips. The pale orange and red fabrics that Sansa had chosen for the dress made her skin seem more sunkissed than is actually was. Her house sigil, a sunflower, was embroidered into the front of her corset. She never thought her house sigil was ever that impressive, but Sansa's stitch work could make even the simplest sigil look beautiful.

Sansa hummed quietly to herself, twisting Alana's hair back into a braided bun for her.

"Such beautiful hair, like a true southerner. You didn't have to cut it to be in the Kings Guard?" Sansa said.

"No, the lord commander didn't care as long as it was tied back." Alana said. "I was prepared to cut it all off if I had to."

"I couldn't do that. I remember Arya got a hold of a straight razor and chopped off a chunk of my hair when I was sleeping. I cried for two days." Sansa giggled to herself. She pushed the last hair pin into place and took a step back to admire her work. "There, all done."

She definitely admired Sansa's skill with a brush. Especially since this wasnt a traditional northerner style. She would look like the embodiment of King's Landing beauty if she weren't so pale.

A soft tap at the door drew her eyes away from the mirror. "Come in."

Robb entered with a soft. "Typical ladies, alway taking ages to get ready." He laughed softly.

"You can't rush beauty, Robb." Sansa rolled her eyes.

Alana stood up from the vanity as Robb eyed her from head to toe, she was too busy trying not to trip over her skirt to notice.

"The dress suits you." Robb said.

"I still think I'd prefer my armor though…" She said softly. "How do women wear these every day. I haven't even been this… dolled before."

"Oh don't act like you've never worn a dress before." He said, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You truely look like a queen. _Beautiful_."

She turned her head away, trying to conceal her blush. But she couldn't hide her smile. "Come now… we shouldn't keep them waiting."

************

The blackberry wine they were served felt like it was going down like water. Seated comfortably next to Robb, Alana could still feel Lysa's prying eyes stabbing her in the forehead. If any lingering thought that Lysa's perception of her was skewed from this morning, it was definetly confirmed now.

"So Robb, how were you able to make it here after the Twins? Certianly you couldn't make it here on your own." Lysa said. "I have no doubt that Alana here has her set of skills, but I doubt she was much of help to you on such a dreadful journey."

Alana shoved another fork full of honeyed chicken into her mouth, shrugging off the backhanded statement. The scrape of her fork against fine ceramic sent a shiver through Robb.

"Actually, she was. Aunt Lysa I wouldn't have made it out of the Twins without her. I was ready to accept death in that dining hall." Robb said.

"Perhaps the Lannisters didn't send their *best* men." Lysa said taking another sip of wine. Neither Robb nor Alana genuinely knew how to feel about that statement. Sansa had a feeling settling in the pit of her stomach that Lysa's warm welcome to the Eryie for Alana wasn't so warm as it appeared to be.

"You must forgive my dear wife, Lady Alana, this has snow storm has brought a cold with it for her and she can be a bit irritable." Lord Baelish said calmly. "There is no doubt that you showed true bravery in the Twins. I wish I were a fly on the wall when Lord Tywin recieved news of your and Robb's escape."

"I don't." Robb said. "I don't wish to know how many assassins he's hired by now."

He was perhaps growing to comfortable in his seat. After just two days of not having to look over his shoulder at every turn, he had starting to left his guard down and he knew it. The thought of Lord Tywin working away at what ever plans he had made to have him hunted like an animal brought him back to the reality of their situation

"You might be surprised, my lord. In wake of King Joffrey's death, his attention may have shifted from your whereabouts." Lord Baelish said calmly. "And a kinder, more gentle heart has taken the throne. His attentions may focus on grooming young Tommen into listening to whatever mother dearest tells him."

"That's only one of the three we wont have to worry about. The Freys still hold the Riverlands. The Bolton's still hold Winterfell. And I'm sure Roose Bolton isn't very happy about our escape either." Robb said, with a slightly ammused side eye to Alana. "Or that you put a crossbow bolt in his ribs, Alana."

"I'd be more than happy to do it again if he wasn't satisfied with the first one." Alana said almost innocent, drawing an ammused chuckle from Peter.

"Regardless, you'll be safe here in the Eryie. You won't have to worry about the Bolton's or the Freys any longer while you live here." Lysa said calmly.

Suddenly dinner wasn't resting so well in his stomach. Robb was afraid this may happen.

"Aunt Lysa, we can't stay here…" he began, icing Alana's blood as he spoke. The almost betrayed glare that he received was sharp enough to kill.

"My family is still splintered… Arya is nowhere to be found, and Bran and Rickon are still trapped in Winterfell…" Robb said. "And the Bolton's… I can't allow those that stripped everything thing from me to hold my home."

"So what would you do? March unto Winterfell without an army?"

"Aunt Lysa…"

Sansa sank down in her seat, a concerned glance drifting from Peter to Alana.

"Have you not forgotten that your banners are gone?"

"I know…"

"Have you forgotten that you are _alone?_ "

His blood was boiling, but it hadn't boiled over just yet. With a defeated sigh, he abruptedly stood up, palms flat on the mahogany table.

"We will discuss these matters in private."


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lysa confronts Robb about Alana.

Dinner ended rather abruptly. Robb had scurried away before Alana could speak with him after dinner. And as much as Lord Baelish apologized, it couldn't settle the lump in her throat. She feared that Lysa would strike a nerve with Robb. She feared that Lysa would try to put ideas in his head that he didn't need.

Sansa had retired to her room in a heap of tears, but Alana was to worried to retire to her chambers. She scurried through the halls of the Eryie as quietly as she could, abandoning her shoes in her room so she wouldn't make that much noise. She heard Lysa's cackling voice and Robb's disappointed sigh a mile away.

"I plan to march for Winterfell. One I depart for the North I will speak with Lords of White harbor and Hornewood." He said. "I will need the support of the Vale if I hope to stand a chance."

"Another one of your conquests, Robb? Have you forgetten how the first one went?" Lysa hissed, her voice lowered into a condescending tone.

Lysa had retired to her personal study, of course. With the glass door slightly cracked and the absence of her personal guard, Alana sat quietly outside the door, quietly listening. With a daring peek into Lysa's study, she saw Lady Arryn seated behind her desk with a condescending look that could kill. Robb was going to wear a hole in the floor with his continuous pacing in front of her desk.

"This isn't another conquest…" he sighed.

"Then what is it, Robb? Revenge? Greed? Anger?" Lysa spat. She was striking a nerve that hadn't been touched in months. Alana had chewed a sore into her bottom lip by now. "What else are you prepared to through away for revenge?"

"I made a mistake and it cost me _everything_! It cost the North _everything_!" Robb roared. The blood of a direwolf had surfaced from within him. "Do you know how many times I've wanted to tell my mother she was right? _She's dead because of me_!"

Lysa leaned back in her said, biting her tongue. There's always a raw nerve for family. Andd Robb almost felt guilty for striking that nerve, but it hard to be done.

His chest fell heavy as his heart throbbed to get the next beat out. "This isn't about revenge… this is about righting everything that I've wronged." He said with an exhausted sigh. "The North will not survive this winter while the Boltons hold it. My brother's, Rickon and Bran are still trapped in Winterfell. I can't stand here and do nothing…"

"And who says that the North even wants you anymore, you were the King in the North that failed them." She hissed, leaning forward on her elbows.

"And the North is better off with the Bolton bastard that tortures animals in his free time?" Robb arched an eyebrow. "The North has suffered enough. I just want my home back, I just want what's left of my family back. Did you honestly think that I would live out the rest of my days hiding here in the Eryie with you?"

Alana bit her tongue. Lady Arryn's true nature had surfaced. She was a very harsh woman, so accusatory.

"Oh dear Robb…" Lysa sighed. "That damned girl is putting words in your head, isn't she?"

Alana shoved her fist in her mouth to keep herself from letting a gasp escape her.

His blood iced at the condescending way his aunt spoke of her. "Leave her out of this." Robb hissed. "This is _my_ decision. Not her's."

"Oh really?" Lysa cocked her head to the side. "How much did your pride swell when she told you she would fight for Winterfell with you? You have to know by now she's using you to fix her broken reputation. How much red in her ledger has she had you erase for her already?"

"It isn't like that…"

"The dishonored Ebony Knight saves the King in the North. Why? Was is because you haven't out lived your usefulness yet? "

"She came back for me because she cared for me…" He ground the words through his teeth.

"The girl only cares about her bloody name, can't you see that Robb?" Lysa insisted, eyes glaring daggers. "The damn girl couldn't stand the though of what her already worthless name may come to if she allowed the Lannisters to gut you like a pig!"

She struck a nerve, hard. She was beyond testing his patience and was flat out provoking him. Alana could see it in his burning cheeks that he was about to boil over. "You're so sure you know this woman. But admit it, wouldn't so much as bat an eye if she turn up dead in the Red Keep when you lived with her."

"Because I _know_ what she's done while I lived in the Red Keep… there were so many sleepless nights when the King Guards had their way with her." Lysa spat. "You could hear it. She loved every minute of it."

Robb narrowed his eyes. "Oh really?" He leaned over the table, palms flat on the cold marble. "That's what she told you? When she was bleeding profusely and crying, she told you how much she loved it when Jaime _raped_ her?"

Lysa paled, her skin turning as white as snow. "You knew what was going on, and said nothing. Your husband's job was more important than a little human decency."

Lysa sat there, eyes narrowed in shock and disgusted. "She's told you everything… hasnt she…" she said.

"Everything. What Jaime did to her, what happened to force her to leave the Red Keep. And how she told you _everything_  and how you did _nothing_." Robb spat. "You _sicken_  me."

Robb spoke out of disgust, not anger. Lysa hadn't flinched even in the slightest when Robb threw so much anger and rage at her. But the moment he sounded disgusted with her, she started to squirm.

"Now since its obvious that I'm going to get more help from a woman that was a complete stranger to me a year ago more than my own family, we leave for White Harbor with a fortnight." He said.

He turned on his heels, fists clenched hard until his knuckles turned white.

Lysa leaned back in her seat again, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at her nephew. "You've fallen in love with her, haven't you?" She said calmly.

Robb stopped hard in hias tracks. He didn't return a glance over his shoulder. "We are leaving for White Harbor as soon as this storm passes, with or without your help."


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alana is left with more questions than answers. A late night vistor leads them to question their safety.

Alana hurried back to her room before either of them stepped foot outside Lysa's study. The guards that patrolled the halls only offered a confused side eye to the woman running barefoot through the halls. But if Lady Arryn found out that she had been more than nosy, she would let Robin teacher her how to fly from the moon door.

She quickly slipped into her bed chambers and shut the door behind her. She pressed her back against the heavy door, heart slammed against her ribs, her chest heaving.

So many thoughts tangled in her head. Will Lysa really refuse to help her own blood retake his home? Where will they go from here if Lysa refuses to help them? Does Lysa really feel that strongly against her? Would Lysa help him if perhaps she wasn't in the picture? Would it make a difference if she left? _Does Robb really love me?_

She ran her fingers through her hair, her heart still pounding in her chest. _Why couldn't he answer Lysa? Does he really love me?_

She jumped at the sound of the a soft tap at the door, sharply drawing her out of her trance. Alana took a deep breath to steady her nerves before opening the door.

"You look like you've seen a ghost love, what's the matter?" Her nerves stilled just a bit, it was only Robb. His somewhat calm demeanor brought her some comfort. She found it warming that he could still managed to smile even after she knew he had been interrogated and jung out to dry by Lady Arryn. The nightmare brewing in her mind that Lysa sent her guards to through her out of the Eryie hadn't come true, at least not yet.

"Dinner was quite… uncomfortable." She sighed. "That's all... did you speak with your aunt?"

"I did..." he sighed leaning against the door frame. "We may have to move forward unto White Harbor and towards the Wall without her help."

 _Of course._ "She won't help us?" She said.

"I don't believe she will." Robb said solemnly. "My aunt has a very strange view of the world. She doesn't agree with the events that lead up to what happened at the Twins. She doesn't believe that Winterfell would be better off with the Starks leading them anymore."

"So because you made your mistakes in the Riverlands, she doesn't believe you to be worthy of a second chance?" Alana said. _He's not going to mention anything that she's said about me…_

"…no… no she doesn't." Robb ran a hand through his auburn curls. "I knew this was going to be difficult but I never imagined it to be like this."

Something was burning in the back of his mind and she knew exactly what it was. But she knew him, he wasn't going to address it unless she brought it out into the open. Swallowing her pride and her nerves, she forced herself to address the elephant in the room. "It isn't beacuse of me is it?"

His clear blue eyes snapped to hers, not in confusion, but in seriousness. He looked at her like she had just found out his biggest secret.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You cannot deny that Lysa doesn't believe me to be a saint. You've seen the way she acts towards me. And you _know_ the relationship I had with her in King's Landing." She said. It almost strangled her to force the next few words out of her throat. "Am I the reason that she won't help you? Because if I am then I swear I will walk out of here you will never…"

"That is _not_ an option, Alana." Robb said sternly, his piercing eyes fixed on hers. "We're in this mess together, you said so yourself. I will _not_ abandon you to please a crazy old woman that barely raised a hand to help us when our family was being _slaughtered_."

His stubornness had certianly surfaced once again. "Robb, that crazy old woman could get you the momentum you need to start taking back the North."  She pleaded, her heart aching with every beat.

"I am not going to abandon the one I care about for some momentary comfort, Alana. End of discussion." Robb said, taking the young knight by surprise by his words. Her rich blue eyes couldn't grow any wider. "Besides, I _did_ promise you that I'd show you snow. I wouldn't want to be called a liar now would I?"

 _Damn you, Stark..._ A soft blush spread across his face and a smile with it. "You are going to be the death of us both, Lord Stark." She sighed. "What do you propose to be our next move then?"

"Find passage to White Harbor that's reasonably safe." He said. "But after that explosion at dinner, we both could use some rest. We'll discuss this more in the morning, alright love?"

********

Alana awoke sharply in the middle of the night. She had become a light sleeper. The most subtle sound, such as the strike of a match, woke her.

Her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness, but the soft glow a match slowly lighting her candles provided some light.

"Robb?" She said, her voice groggy and quiet.

"I bet you wish I was him, your bed seems quite empty." _That's not Robb…_

A chill shot up her spine, the raspy voice raising the hair on the back of her neck. She knew that voice. It had been years since she last heard it, but she knew that voice.

"Ser Handor… to what do I owe this pleasure?" She sat herself up from the bed, never taking her eyes off her uninvited guest. Ser Handor blew out the matchstick and seated himself lackadaisically on the satin sofa. The soft light from the candle was enough to reveal the massive scar on the left side in his face.

"You're a hard woman to reach." He said. "But so… predictable. Of course he would drag you to the Eryie with him, it's the only safe haven left in Westeros for a fallen King."

He was dressed as a knight from Lady Arryn's personal guard, the original owner of the armor more than likely met an unfortunate fate with the wrong end of a sword.

"My… Lana, you've changed. I remember how young you were when you took the oath of the Kingsguard. How so… naive you were." He said. "I never thought I'd fine you wrapped around the traitor King…"

"You think you can make it out alive? Someone will hear you before you ever get near Robb or Sansa..." She said. Her eyes traced the edge of the room for something she could use as a weapon.

"Two of the guards that patrol this hall met an unfortunate fate with the wrong end of a sword, it will be a while before the other two return her and find out what happened." He said. "And when they do, they'll find the King in the North opened from balls to brain and his withering cunt sister strung open down the halls."

Handor stood up abruptly, brandishing a dagger from his belt. "But first, I'm going to tie up a loose end for Lord Tywin." He said. "You should feel honored, the most powerful man in Westeros spent a lot of money to have you killed."

He stalked towards Alana, forcing her to take a step back until her back hit the desk. Her hand frantically felt along the wooden surface of the desk, searching for something, anything that she could get her hands on.

"Now, let's see what the Ebony knight is made of."

She felt her heart rate skyrocket when she felt the tip of the blade slice into her stomach. The first thing she could grab a hold of was a crystal wine decanter. She grasped it tightly and smashed over his head. With a sharp cry, he reeled back, the crystal shards slicing his flesh to ribbons. He stepped back far enough for her to squeeze between him and the desk and slip away. But she only made it a step before his fingers stabbed into her forearm, dragging her closer to him once more. His balled fist collided with her jaw sharply, taking her off her feet. She fell backwards on to the glass coffee table to her right, and shattered it, the glass decanters crushed to dust on the stone floor.

"Feisty little bitch aren't you?" He scoffed, wiping the blood from his face.

Grasping the dagger tightly, he loomed over Alana. With hazy vision, she just barely able to make out the rough outline of his arm. With one hand she grabbed his forearm with an iron grasp as he thrust the dagger at her again, just mere inches from her chest. The other hand braved the splinter like shards if glass to find something to use as a makeshift weapon against him, if she could find anything that is. His weight pushed her further into the bed of glass and threatened to break what remained of her strength, the dagger inching ever so closer to her chest. Ignoring the slicing pain of her bare flesh, she wrapped her fingers around a large shard of glass. With the last bit of strength she had, she swung her free arm up and sliced open his throat with the jagged edge.

His eyes blew wide, the dagger falling from his hsnd as it flew around his throat, blood gushing out like water straight from the spigot and raining down on the front of her night gown. He rolled off of her, allowing her to push herself off of the bed of hair like needles.

"Lana!" The bed chamber door flew open, Robb forcing his way in with his sword drawn at the ready, two of Lady Arryn's personal guard just a step behind him. A chill shot Robb's spine at the sight of the blood, so much of it and no clue who it belonged to. Not another word felt from Handor's lips, just a strangle grunt as he choked on his own blood and drew his last breath. Robb sheathed his sword, still hardly able to comprehend the scene before him.

Alana dropped the shard of glass, cracking open into smaller pieces as it it the floor. Her heart rammed against the side of her rib cage with each labored breath, her hand sliced open wide from the glass.

Robb dropped to his knees before her, longing to help but afraid to touch her; he wasn't sure how much of the blood was her's and how much of it wasn't. He couldn't get the words out of his throat.

"Most of this is his…" She said, her voice still shaking. "Of course the Lannisters would send him…"

"Wait… you _know_  this man?" He said.

"Yes…" she said faintly. "Ser Handor of Casterly Rock, a dishonored knight loyal only to Tywin Lannister. If he's found us, there's nowhere left in Westeros that's safe."


	30. Chapter 30

The crash of the glass table drew the attention of almost all the guards in that hall, and even woke Sansa two doors down the hall. A runner turned to wake Lady Arryn, but she had yet to make her way down the many sets of stairs.

"You believe Lord Tywin sent him." Robb said, crossing his arms at the foot of her bed. Ser Handor's lifeless corpse had been hauled out of her bed chamber but the shattered glass and blood still littered the floor, the handmaidens trying their best to sweep up the mess. They packed her wounds dry with cotton. Her wounds were deep but not serious. They would scar soon enough, another unfortunate memory to be etched in skin. She sat quietly at the edge of her bed, hugging her shredded night gown to her bare chest to cover herself while the handmaiden washed the blood off over her flayed back.

"Lord Tywin _did_ send him. I've seen him so many times before. Tywin _always_ calls upon him to do his dirty work." Alana said, hissing as the wound on her hand was tightly packed with cotton. "He told me that I should feel honored that the most powerful man in Westeros spent a lot if gold to have me killed, that I was a loose end that needed to be take care of before he went on to kill you and Sansa."

He almost wanted to hear that this man was a straggler; a sellsword that had heard that he and Lana escaped the Twins and went looking for them, hoping to go from rags to riches overnight by presenting their heads to the Boltons or the Freys. Lord Tywin was not a man of inaction. He couldnt wait and leave it to chance that a cold bitter night or a wandering sellsword or even a stray mountain tribe would kill them.

He watched Sansa shift uncomfortably on the couch out of the corner of his eye.

"If one of Tywin's men found us here, even the Eryie isn't safe." She said solemnly.

Alana chewed on her lower lip. "And if this one's found us, how many more are on their way?"

"My dear ladies… we are not going to lose our heads." Robb said firmly. "But we're not going to take this lightly either. With no Stark allied banner holding any of the ports in Westeros, he had to have known both of us only had one place to go. The Eryie was the only safe option for either of us, so of course he sent someone here. I don't doubt he sent men to sweep Seagard and the Crossroads after we left."

Alana nodded solemnly, Sansa agreeing in silence.

"I thought this would all finally be over once I made out of King's Landing." Sansa sighed.

His shoulders fell heavy as he tried to piece together a response that would help calm the tension. Instead he turned his attention to ome of the guards standing by the door way, awaiting Lady Arryn's arrival.

"I want 2 guards pointed outside her door tonight, no vistors expect myself or Lady Arryn, not until we figure out this mess."

"But…"

"I don't care what Lady Arryn says." Robb said firmly.

"Yes, my lord…" The quickly guard scampered away to make preparations.

Her brother managed to put her at some ease for the moment, but it was only a moment's comfort. "Go back to bed Sansa, we'll discuss these matters in the morning." He said.

His younger sister wiped her misty eyes before collecting the skirts of her nightgown and hurrying off back down the hall, two additional guards following a few steps behind her.

Lana pulled a clean nightgown over her head, even the thinnest of fabrics still irritating the freshly opened flesh on her back. The handmaidens disappeared into the halls for a moment, leaving the them both in an eerie silence. She could feel his eyes roaming over her still bloodied skin, the tension so thick in the air you could cut it with a knife.

"I'll be fine, Robb." She said firmly, attempting to put his nerves at ease. "I promise."

"I know you will. But you shouldn't be sleeping in the same room where you just killed an assassin with a shard of glass." Robb said. "Stay with me in my room for the night."

Even then she still was skeptical, he could see it in her face. Lady Arryn already believes her to be the whore of the Red Keep, and she doesn't doubt that Lady Arryn believes her to have crawled in to Robb's bed will devious intentions. Assassin or not, Lady Arryn would still have her skin.

His hand gently wrapped around her cotton packed and bandaged hand, drawing her out of her train of thought. "Please." He said softly. "Stay with me for the night."

It hurt her more to look at his concerned eyes than it did to have the glass picked out of her back piece by piece.

"Alright."

 ********* ***

Many sleepless nights had finally caught up to the young knight. While her racing heart and flood of adrenaline kept her wide awake at first, as soon as her nerves started to calm and she was pressed up against the King in the North in a soft bed rather then a bed of glass, exhaustion took her right away. But now it was his nerves that kept him wide awake.

His hand rubbing calming cirles on the small of her back. He could feel her inflamed skin that had been sliced open by the needle like shards of glass beneath her parchment thin night gown.

It made since that her father was a blacksmith, because his daughter was truely a lady made of iron.


End file.
